The Wiesbaden goldsmiths and master bookbinder Petmecky created the book based on designs by city architect Felix Genzmer and donated it to the city. The names of the donors are listed on a small plaque on the inside of the 35-kilogram work. The front of the magnificent volume is decorated with an overall view of Wiesbaden at the turn of the century, embossed in silver. The city's coat of arms was embedded above the picture in a shield adorned with a crest and mural crown. In addition to the three golden lilies on a blue background, the coat of arms at that time also consisted of a central shield with the Nassau lion.

In the lower part of the cover, the goddess of health, Hygiea, can be seen in a late Gothic pediment as a symbol of Wiesbaden's healing springs. The coats of arms of the German Empire and Prussia are engraved in enamel on her left and right sides. The cover is framed by a decorative border showing fruit tendrils in heavily gilded silver. The inside of the cover is woven from blue silk and embroidered with golden fleurs-de-lis.

The content of the work begins with a report on the construction of the new town hall, the decoration of the ceremonial hall and the foundation of the Golden Book. This is followed by the names of the members of the town hall decoration deputation at the time and the names of the people's representatives in the magistrate and city council.

After the list of honorary citizens of Wiesbaden, the entries of prominent visitors to the city begin. The first name entry comes from Kaiser Wilhelm II, during whose visit on May 13, 1902, the Golden Book was published for the first time. King Oskar II of Sweden and North Norway and King Christian IX of Denmark, two other European monarchs, signed the book in the same year.

Over the decades, numerous prominent guests from Germany and abroad have been ceremoniously received in the town hall's ballroom. These included politicians, military leaders, scientists, representatives from business and technology as well as artists, musicians and athletes. Among others, the conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler, the Presidents and Chancellors of the Federal Republic of Germany, representatives of Wiesbaden's twin cities, Karl Zuckmayer, Erich Kästner, US President John F. Kennedy, the British Queen Elizabeth II, Mikhail Gorbachev, Yasser Arafat, Thomas Gottschalk, Karl Cardinal Lehmann, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg and the Wiesbaden-born Formula 1 racing driver Nico Rosberg have all signed the register.

With two exceptions, all entries took place in the ballroom of the town hall.