Schwarzer Bock

Schwarzer Bock, officially the Radisson Blu Schwarzer Bock Hotel, stands in Wiesbaden’s heart near the Kochbrunnen. A natural spring feeds its baths with water at 36 degrees Celsius. Roman gravestones, tiles and remains of a hypocaust emerged in the cellar during construction work.

The earliest recorded year is 1486, and the bar door still bears that number. The name is linked to Mayor Philipp zu Bock and his black hair. After fires destroyed the Platz am Bock, Hermann Burg rebuilt the house in 1578. During the Thirty Years’ War, imperial, Swedish, French and Spanish officers occupied the property. Two communal baths marked its return to operation by 1662. An expansion around 1712 absorbed the neighbouring Rindsfuß, later called the Englischer Hof. By 1736, the expanded hotel held first-class bathhouse status.

The Ingelheimer Zimmer preserves furnishings from Ingelheimer Schloss, collected by Baron Ludwig von Erlanger. Carved coats of arms and biblical scenes shape its decoration. Wartime damage destroyed the upper floors, while restoration in 1957 renewed the façade. Radisson Blu has managed the hotel since 1995.