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The cheerfully rippling fountain is one of the landmarks of Lichtentaler Allee. It is made of sintered stone, i.e. sediment from Baden-Baden’s hot springs. When the Friedrichsbad was built, the spring rock was removed and piled up here as a fountain cone. We are looking at our primary rock, so to speak.
What happened to the beech tree? The break in age. After all, it is over 150 years old! It is an impressive example of the magnificent and unusual giant trees that line our Lichtentaler Allee! Well, we have to protect the “old lady” in the meantime. She is a particularly demanding and sensitive specimen and requires the attentive care and attention of Baden-Baden’s gardening department. Did you know that the growth of the silver beech reverses in the course of its life, turning from top to bottom? This makes the branches susceptible to breakage in wind, snow and wet conditions. Miraculously, it survived the terrible hurricane Lothar, which swept across the Rhine Valley on Boxing Day 1999 and smashed violently against the Black Forest walls!
The avenue soon recovered. A spontaneous fundraising campaign among the town’s residents made it possible to plant 200 new trees.
The Lichtentaler Allee Friends’ Association was then founded, which has set itself the goal of permanently preserving this historic park and is the initiator of Baden-Baden’s application for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List! Together with the most important spa and fashionable cities in Europe of the 19th century. But Baden-Baden has a special character – it is practically their queen! So full of elegance and beauty!
