Send Gift Baskets to Wiesbaden, Germany

Present-day Wiesbaden exhibits evidence of settlement. In the Neolithic era, they were occupied continuously, and in 6 AD there was already a Roman military installed. Wiesbaden has thermal springs that inspired Pliny the Elder – famous for his books on natural history from Ancient Rome. They were renowned for their pools and exceptional health benefits. He was likely referring to it as the mineral source of red hair dye, which was an increasingly popular trend in my period.

The Romans first mention Aquae Mattiacorum in 121. The Mattiaci were a Germanic tribe and lived close by at the time. In the Geography of Claudius Ptolemy, there is a town called Mattiacum. Along with this town, Limes Germanicus was designed in Wiesbaden.

The capital of the province of Germania Superior, Mogontiacum (present-day Mainz), was home to 2 Roman legions and connected by a bridge at the present-day borough of Mainz-Kastel (Roman “castellum”), a strong fort.

In 260, a coalition of Germanic tribes known as the Alamanni captured the fort and held it for some time. In 370 when the Romans and Alamanni were allied together, they gained control of Wiesbaden again. This allowed them to outmaneuver their opponent who was formerly in charge of defense.

After World War II Hesse, a state in Germany was established. Wiesbaden, a city in the state, became its capital and Frankfurt am Main became another important city. Despite having a significantly less population than Frankfurt Main Wiesbaden does have its strengths and will continue to grow as an important economic and financial center. There is a persistent rumor that the U.S. Army Air Force spared the town intending to turn it into a postwar HQ, but USAAF sources claim this to be a myth, arguing that Wiesbaden’s economic and strategic importance simply did not justify this project. Wiesbaden was home to the Headquarters, of U.S. Air Forces, Europe from 1953 to 1973.

American military presence in Wiesbaden has been around since World War II, with the U.S. 1st Armored Division headquartered on the Wiesbaden Army Airfield until 1974 when it moved to Fort Bliss. Wiesbaden is now home to the U.S. Army Europe Headquarters and Mission Command Center, which moved from Germany for better access to resources.