The Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden sits between the Kurhaus and the Warmer Damm park, a vast neo-Baroque opera house commissioned in 1894 by Kaiser Wilhelm II as a counterweight to the spa-resort glamour of the casino next door. The grand colonnaded facade and the rococo interior — gilded boxes, chandeliers, a domed ceiling — make it one of the most lavish theatres in Germany.
The four-stage company stages opera, ballet, theatre, and concerts more than 800 times a year. The annual Internationale Maifestspiele (May Festival), running since 1896, is the most prestigious event — a month of international productions that draws audiences from across Europe. Even outside performance times, the foyer is open during the day for a look at the interior.