Baden

Today we will walk through the city of Baden, in the Swiss canton Aargau, by the river Limmat. Baden means literally Baths and is a reference to hot sulphur waters that were recognised already by ancient Romans who called Baden Aquae Helveticae or otherwise Swiss Waters.  

You can walk through the health spa park if you wish, its focal point is the Grand Casino. 

Next to it, you will find several nice buildings in a style that is very Swiss in my eyes.

Sick people tend to look for support everywhere. So you will not be surprised that besides going to the health spa, they also prey. Baden offers a wide variety of service, just to name a synagogue ...

... and churches of many Christian confessions, both large and small.

Those of you who like me have spent some time in Switzerland must have realised quite quickly that the main street in town is usually called "Train station street". Baden has its Bahnhofstrasse as well.

The entrance is guarded by a tower, quite similar to those that we have seen in Bern or in Zug.

The residential buildings along the Bahnhofstrasse are renovated and often house exclusive boutiques.

Many of them have a name. And a date. Yes, this is not a mistake, it definitely says 1430. How many houses made of brick were there in your hometown six hundred years ago?

On the top of the hill you will notice the ruins of a castle. The Stein castle has been in ruins for three hundred year now so I guess we can skip the climbing up the hill.

As we move along the downtown, you can see same building as in most Swiss cities - nicely maintained residential building with window blinds.

But there is one special building in Baden that I wanted to show you. It is called Villa Boveri.

Villa Boveri used to be the house of the family of Walter Boveri, the co-founder of the engineering company Brown Boverie Cie (now part of ABB Group).

Inside, the original decorations were maintained.

So can you sit in this cosy living room and imagine yourself as a passionate inventor in the middle of the industrial revolution.

But the most amazing thing about the Villa is the park that surrounds it.

You can walk down the lanes and listen to the water pouring slowly from many fountains.

The park houses several statues.

It is full of flowers, even in late autumn. I have seen gardeners planting new ones even now!

I think that living in Villa Boveri must have been a great experience. Today, it is operated by a foundation and you can come here any time - admission is free!

Why don't we take a break and enjoy this chilly but sunny afternoon in the lovely Villa Boveri Park.