Flood protection along streams: Flood overflow Kurparkweiher
Due to extreme weather conditions and climate changes with more frequent heavy rainfall events, streams in the state capital of Wiesbaden sometimes overflow their banks.
The aim of urban protection measures is to minimize damage even in the event of a 100-year flood. However, preventive flood protection remains a joint task: in addition to municipal measures, owners are also responsible for their own property protection. The spa gardens around the Kurhaus are being made "climate-ready": a flood overflow is being built to counteract the increase in heavy rainfall caused by climate change.
The construction project began in the fall of 2024 with the drainage of the Kurparkweiher pond. By the end of March 2025, a ten-metre-long overflow sill will be constructed, through which excess rainwater will be directed into the existing Rambach canal via a channel.
This will help to protect against flooding, as was the case with the Wiesbaden Kurhaus. The images from 2014 are still fresh in our minds, when flooding caused by heavy rainfall caused considerable damage to the Kurhaus and the adjacent underground car park. With the overflow sill in the Kurparkweiher pond, Wiesbaden is taking precautions to prevent such a scenario from happening again.
The complexity of the issue of flood protection made an intensive and lengthy planning and preparation phase essential. Protection against flooding caused by heavy rainfall in the Kurpark is one of numerous measures with which the state capital is preparing for the increasing challenges of climate change. This is because Wiesbaden's streams carry a lot of water very quickly during heavy rainfall, increasing the risk of flooding.
As past experience has shown, the Rambach, which flows out of a narrow valley, is particularly at risk. To ensure flood protection, a flood retention basin "Im langen Garten" in Rambach and flow-directing measures on the Goldsteinbach are being planned in parallel with the construction of the flood overflow in the Kurpark.
Schluckbrunnen construction project: Water flows into the pond again
But completion of the "Schluckbrunnen" in the spa gardens is still a little delayed:
In order to counteract the increased heavy rainfall events brought about by climate change, a flood overflow is being built in the spa park pond. The overflow sill and the new relief channel for the so-called swallow well under the main access to the spa park have already been completed. A prefabricated concrete element weighing several tons, which is required for the transition into the Rambach canal (culvert), is also ready on site. There were delays due to the weather, but we are now in the final stages of construction. The refilling of the Kurpark pond from the natural inflow of the Rambach has already begun and will continue for several weeks. The green areas around the pond will be restored in April in order to preserve the overall appearance of the spa park and at the same time protect the monument.
The current construction work includes the technically challenging connection of the Rambach drainage system to the new relief channel, which runs under the currently closed-off path between the spa park shell and the ice hill. However, unexpectedly high water runoff in the Rambach culvert has made the connection to the relief canal more difficult. For this reason, some of the water will be diverted in the near future to refill the Kurpark pond.
Frost also hindered the construction work in the first few months of the year. For example, the removal of the natural stone at the quarry could not take place as planned due to the winter weather conditions - and the installation of the natural stone cladding on the overflow sill in the Kurparkweiher was delayed accordingly.
Information and guided tours
To inform the public, there are regular free guided tours of the Kurpark, during which the work on the construction site is explained. Further information, dates and the option to register can be found on the Kurhaus website, the link is provided at the bottom of the page.
Further information
Contact us
Environmental Agency
Address
65189 Wiesbaden
Postal address
65029 Wiesbaden
Arrival
Notes on public transport
Bus stop Statistisches Bundesamt; bus lines 16, 27, 28, 37, 45, X26, 262
Telephone
Information on accessibility
- Barrier-free access is available
- The WC is barrier-free