SPOT HOT

Wiesbaden possesses more—and hotter—thermal springs than any other UNESCO World Heritage spa city in Europe. For roughly 25,000 years, they have been the city’s energy source and its vital lifeblood. Yet 80 years ago, most of these “hot spots” were sealed, causing the two million liters of thermal water produced daily to nearly vanish from the urban memory.

SPOT HOT is an invitation to rediscover Wiesbaden’s thermal springs as the city’s DNA through an inspiring walk. The first step is to revive and reinterpret nine “hot.spots” within Wiesbaden’s Historic Pentagon—forming a growing gallery of the elemental. Gradually, this process brings Wiesbaden’s hidden treasure from 2,000 meters below the surface back into public awareness, transforming it into hybrid water experiences.

Goals

• Make Wiesbaden’s DNA visible again
• Create democratic, low-threshold, and barrier-free access
• Draw people to new places within the city
• Foster knowledge exchange, social encounter, and connectivity
• Explore how water can once again be used as a (geothermal) resource, a healing lifeblood, and a source of sustainability

Venue: former SportScheck department store, Langgasse 5, 65183 Wiesbaden, as well as a city tour with stops in the Historic Five Corners (Historisches Fünfeck).

Current context in the urban landscape on the theme of “Hot Springs”: window installation on the theme of thermal springs, Schwalbacher Str. 25/27.

Project Initiator

Yvonne Kirchdorfer is a communication scholar, independent author, project developer, and a co-founder of feuilleton, the magazine for art and culture in Wiesbaden. In 2024, she was awarded the Golden Lily for her voluntary engagement in schools, as well as the City of Wiesbaden’s Special Prize for Democracy.

Advisory and Cooperation Partners

Rechtsanwalt Adam, Angelika Stehle
Event and Marketing Partners
WDC Werkraum Wiesbaden / Vierter Ort, WICM (Wiesbaden City Marketing)