The city of “blue nights” and gambling Baden-Baden through the eyes of an Azerbaijani journalist

I would not be mistaken in saying that this small German town is no less familiar to people in Azerbaijan than the German capital itself. This is especially true of those over thirty who still remember a time when people’s interests were not limited to computer games.

The city in question is the resort town of Baden-Baden, which became widely known in our country thanks to the 1969 film Şərikli çörək (Bread to Share). One of the film’s characters utters the phrase “Baden-Badenin mavi gecələri” (“the blue nights of Baden-Baden”), which has remained almost a household expression in Azerbaijan for nearly six decades.

Let me say right away: unlike many other modern German cities, particularly Frankfurt, which I will write about in my next report, Baden-Baden did not disappoint me at all. On the contrary, it pleasantly surprised me. It turned out to be much more quintessentially German than many other cities in the country.

There are quite a few migrants in Baden-Baden, particularly Russian speakers from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. There are Azerbaijanis as well. There are not many of them, but they stick together: they communicate, meet up, and try to help one another settle in and adapt to life in German society.

The main attractions of Baden-Baden are undoubtedly its thermal springs, which were discovered here by the ancient Romans, and its casino, where many historical figures, most famously writer Fyodor Dostoevsky, reportedly gambled away fortunes.

For example, the Kurhaus Casino has been operating in Baden-Baden since 1766, and it has a strict dress code: you will not be admitted without a jacket, although you can rent one for €10. Admission costs another €25, meaning the gambling starts with a loss of roughly 70 manats. You must also have an ID and cash with you — a bank card may not work because some banks block gambling transactions. Those who do not want to pay the admission fee can use the slot-machine hall instead. And if gambling is not your thing at all, there are plenty of boutiques, cafés, and restaurants near the Kurhaus.

Naturally, the city’s famous shopping centres also deserve a mention, especially the largest and best-known one, the Cité Mall. Overall, the city centre reminds me of our Torgovaya: everything is compact, and you can easily get to virtually any place you need by bus for a little over €2. Prices in the shopping centres are practically the same as in Baku. There are hardly any supermarkets, though, which creates the impression that the people of Baden-Baden eat and drink exclusively in restaurants.

And, of course, the “blue nights” of Baden-Baden are truly beautiful. In summer, it gets dark very late here, sometime after 9 p.m., and the sky really does turn not black, or even dark blue, but a deep, rich shade of blue. It is definitely something worth seeing with your own eyes.

So, if you are ever in Germany, be sure to drop by Baden-Baden!

By Vugar Vugarli, Baden-Baden, exclusively for Caliber.Az