Discover the Historic pentagon in the MINI Cooper S 5-door.

Munich. One million litres of water containing sodium chloride bubble daily from the springs of the spa town of Wiesbaden. The healthy effects of the warm thermal water with temperatures of up to 66 degrees Celsius were recognised there more than 2,000 years ago. Today, Wiesbaden is one of the most important spa resorts in Germany with more than 1.2 million overnight stays annually. But not all visitors are drawn there to drink and bathe. Besides its spas, Wiesbaden is also characterised by art and culture, historical buildings and its status as Hessian state capital. A sightseeing tour in the MINI Cooper S 5-door (combined fuel consumption: 6.5 – 6.2 l/100 km; combined CO₂ emissions: 149 – 141 g/km) takes you past castles and museums, the Kurhaus and the Hessian State Theatre, the historic Market Church and the seat of the state premier.

An ideal starting point from which to discover Wiesbaden is the Historic pentagon, named after a road layout created at the beginning of the 19th century. The MINI Cooper S 5-door moves with the brand’s hallmark agility through the narrow streets of this city centre, established as far back as the Middle Ages. The MINI 5-door, the first five-door compact car in the British brand’s history, is a prime example of the modern interpretation of creative use of space. Its wheelbase, a mere 72 millimetres longer than the MINI 3-door, not only provides considerably more leg room and a third rear seat but also increases the luggage compartment capacity by 67 to 278 litres.

The MINI Cooper S 5-door passes numerous sights with long and eventful histories in Wiesbaden’s Historic pentagon. The Old City Hall, completed in 1610, now serves as a registry office. The Hessian State Parliament has been sitting since 1946 in the Wiesbaden City Palace which dates back to the 19th century. One of the most striking buildings in the Historic pentagon is the Market Church, also built in the 19th century, which visibly stands out in the old town centre not just with its five towers but also its brick façade.

Beyond the Historic pentagon, several impressive buildings, characterising Wiesbaden’s image as a spa resort to this day, emerged in the course of urban expansion in the 19th and early 20th century. Taking centre stage in this city centre area is the so-called Bowling Green in front of the Kurhaus, a rectangular park which was modelled on the popular boules or bowling playing areas in France and Great Britain at the time.

The Kurhaus and the casino it houses, the adjoining Colonnades on either side and the Hessian State Theatre building established Wiesbaden’s reputation as a chic spa resort early on, attracting famous visitors like Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Fjodor Dostojewski or Johannes Brahms. According to records from the historic city archive, nowhere else in the world had as many Grand Hotels as Wiesbaden in the mid 19th century. Today, the architectural splendour of earlier centuries blends with modern infrastructure and a diverse mix of business, services and administration. Several film and media companies have located in Wiesbaden. The Hessian state capital is the seat of the Federal Office for Statistics and the German Federal Police Office as well.

Trips beyond the city limits also reveal the attractiveness of Wiesbaden as a place to live. Heading south, the MINI Cooper S soon reaches the northern banks of the Rhine where the baroque Biebrich Palace is located in the midst of extensive parkland. The residence of the Prince and Princess of Nassau, built in the first half of the 18th century, now houses, amongst others, the Hessian State Monuments Office.

Once on the move, the MINI Cooper S makes a wide loop around the city of Wiesbaden, leading to more day-trip destinations in the surrounding area. The spirited power delivery of its 2.0 litre 4-cylinder engine with MINI TwinPower Turbo technology comes into its own above all on the country roads amid the Rheingau vineyards east and west of Wiesbaden but also en route to the Taunus in the north. The drivetrain generates a maximum performance of 141 kW/192 hp and accelerates the MINI Cooper S 5-door from zero to 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds.

Those for whom a stroll in the vineyards or the Rhine-Taunus natural park turns into an extensive hike can then look forward to a relaxing dip in one of the many thermal baths. The entire urban area has a total of 26 thermal springs where the hot mineral water penetrates to the surface from a depth of approx. 2,000 metres. The city’s extensive thermal water network conveys the therapeutic water not just to the public spas but also numerous private bathhouses, mostly run by long established Wiesbaden hotels.