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Look, here greets Empress Augusta, the wife of Kaiser Wilhelm the First. She often honoured the artists at concerts and soirées in the Viardot-Garcia House. Her presence elevated the 17th German Tonkünstlerfest in 1880 to a state event. She was a clever woman! She took part in political discussions as a matter of course and had a great influence on Kaiser Wilhelm. Bismarck even called her his greatest political opponent!
Bénazet resented Her Highness because she saw frivolity above all in French lightness: Her Majesty rejected gambling!
The Empress probably exerted her influence when gambling was banned in the German Empire in 1872! This ban was a devastating blow to Bénazet’s endeavours. Only much later was gambling permitted again: it was in October 1933 that the casino was allowed to reopen its doors… But it was thanks to her frequent visits that more and more people became aware of the healing effects of Baden-Baden’s thermal waters…
Empress Augusta was to a certain extent the most important spa guest. For around forty years – between 1850 and 1889 – she took a cure in Baden-Baden twice a year. Each time she was accompanied by an entourage of 30 people. She cemented the reputation of the spa like no other guest; today we would say she was a spa enthusiast.
