play hard.
wiesbaden is a city that has a lot to offer in architecture and you can slap some distinctive buzzwords on it that describe it very well. historicism is such a word, with tributaries as art nouveau, neo-classical, neo-gothic, gründerzeit architecture. another important buzzword: modern architecture. tributaries here are mid-century modern, international style, post-modern. and thrown inbetween that is something i would describe as 'shabby chic', but in a sophisticated, at times very progressive way. wiesbaden is first and foremost a city of glitz & glamour, but when you look closer you can find very raw nuggets, and those nuggets are what make this city so interesting to me. i love finding run-down architecture and spaces, i love discovering something that's not typically beautiful, but worn-out in some way. spaces with a lot of good old-fashioned patina on it.
on this walk in early march ( which by the way was another freezing cold one ) i set out to find some more signs of spring ( that still didn't arrive yet ), to find the often overlooked nuggets i just told you about. what came out of this walk is a very diverse display of the city i live in. ( warning: there's an extensive usage of HDR photography here - just in case you dislike such visuals )
let's start with the art nouveau portion of this post. as you know, i'm really into finding art nouveau related things, as this style nourishes something in me that i'm attracted to: nature & beauty, but on the brink of turning into something modern. that style played a lot with fluidity and spirituality, but in later years developed into a more minimal, but equally impressive style: art deco. those two practices build a totality for me, the one can't exist without the other. while some elements are clearly super-romantic and kitschy even, others exude a monumental symbolism that satisfy my inner longing for something bigger than myself. unfortunately art deco is a rare thing here in wiesbaden ( and i think in germany in general ), but it lives within the details. every so often you will find an art deco element in a historicist facade and truly, i live for such discoveries :)
art nouveau meets art deco. flowy natural elements & geometrical symmetry.
i was really lured into this entrance area with the golden business plaques. seems like a lot of creatives share their space in this exceptionally beautiful building.
i really love the wide balcony here. the house was erected in 1902 by architects called werz & huber.
some details of the facade & the balconies. i like how sunken in the balconies appear.
i lovelovelove this door! #doorporn
typical for art nouveau architecture are these head sculptures. the faces are always very sharp & exquisite, with details that melt into the facade. also very typical for art nouveau in general: animal & plant depictions.
flowers & straight lines. straight lines in synchronicity are elements of the art deco practice.
the swirly elements above the entrance and under the windows are another typical thing for art nouveau architecture.
this relief was everything! so absolutely beautiful and it's a wonderful blend of art nouveau & art deco. geometry meets idyllic naturalism.
found the first irises of the season!
and also crocuses. purple was definitely on the colour agenda that day.
#doorporn no. 2!
more good balcony action going on. this clearly has neo-gothic vibes written all over it.
more neo-gothic goodness.
a very brightly coloured & fascinating door design. especially the skylight is super intricate and the epitome of art nouveau design. unfortunately i did not manage to take a better photo of it.
random woman with a parrot.
we're moving on to less romantic districts of wiesbaden, onto a decidedly more modern part of town. this is the asklepios paulinen hospital. the hospital dates back to 1896 but the current building is from 1966. the green colour immediately catches your view.
wiesbaden is also a city of modern architecture, especially so ( like in many german cities ) because of an abundance of construction after world war II - which was inevitable as a lot of city structures were destroyed through bomb raids. you will find a good portion of mid-century & post-modern architecture everywhere, it's written into the identity of any german city you will encounter.
colourful residentials on waldstraße. ( built in 1996 by gresser architekten )
not far away from those buildings you can find remnants of old train rails. and when you move on, you will discover a huge area covered with allotments.
i don't know what the purpose of this building was, all i know is it looks pretty abandoned.
bring the action! ya, baby!
these train tracks are currently unused, i think. it was formerly reserved for the aartalbahn, but due to a lack of funding it's not operating at the moment.
still super nice to take some pictures, though.
i found some cute forget-me-nots.
and another abandoned shack, this time a pay kiosk for miniature golf. it's not actually abandoned, though, it's open in summer and even in september/october if you fancy playing this game. back in march it was definitely not in use, though.
turns out that the area where all the allotments were was a mecca for neglected buildings. this strange bamboo covered house was quite creepy.
it looked kind of occupied, but then again... who would want to live in this creep hole? i especially found the use of the bamboo sticks as facade cladding quite questionable already, haha.
football on a stick. whatever. random things can be found anywhere.
i made my way back home, after the cold finally started to chill me through. passed by this balcony with interesting art on its walls. neardivine.de belongs to someone who's making graffiti art, but i am really not sure if they're very successful at it. the last update on the website was in 2013?
the blue window frames of the tax & revenue office wiesbaden I paired with the red & yellow elements and the white concrete stones are a strangely satisfying thing. the building was designed in 1973.
international style at its best, kinda?
at least i couldn't get enough. there were also green elements! i really like when an otherwise 'boring' building is spiced up with interesting elements.
another post-modern and kind of brutalist beast: the k33. it was erected in 1983 and nowadays houses lots of office space.
on the other side of the street i was attracted to these windows.
but in the end i still kept coming back to the k33 building. the entrance area was especially interesting, with the use of the metal sculpture and all.
and back again to the historic areas of wiesbaden.
i kinda liked this building because it looked so french ( it is the shutters, it's so typically french for me. )
also, the relief above was pretty neat.
this dark dream is one of my favourites in wiesbaden. the dark grey building looks always a bit disheveled but it houses the most beautiful flower shop! it was built in 1900 by alexander schwank.
floristry rosenrot has always the sweetest display windows.
the rest of the building looks like this, and i truly love it this way! it exuded a leftist/alternative vibe, like the house could actually be a squat or something. the pink dispenser is my favourite detail in this picture, wanting to sell courage, love, sex & hope.
another corner of the house.
beware, steps! i love how the paint of the wooden door is bursting open.
it's magic!
random macabre cigarette machine placards.
to counterbalance the lascivious dudes from above - ending the post with more messengers of spring: daffodils! and the realization that you can find the nicest things even on cold ass days.
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