In the town of Baden, in the Canton of Aargau, Switzerland

 "Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that is where I renew my springs that never dry up." -- Pearl S. Buck

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(in the northern Swiss Canton of Aargau on the Limmat River, northwest of Zürich) The town of Baden was one of the first places Roman soldiers went to in what is now Switzerland, because it has the most mineral-rich springs in the country (a total of 18). The waters at Baden are still rich in sulfur, which is said to heal skin conditions and relieve sore muscles. Today, you can choose from several locations in Baden to experience these waters for yourself.

+ Baden (German for "baths") is sometimes called Baden bei Zürich ("Baden near Zürich") or Baden im Aargau ("Baden in the Aargau"), is the main town (or seat) of the district of Baden in the canton of Aargau. Located 25 km (~16 mi.) northwest of Zürich in the Limmat Valley (German: Limmattal) mainly on the western side of the Limmat River, its mineral hot springs have been famed since at least the Roman era. Its official language is the Swiss variety of Standard German, but the main spoken language is the local Alemannic Swiss-German dialect.

+ Downtown Baden, on the left bank of the Limmat, is divided into areas called Kappelerhof, Allmend, Meierhof, and Chrüzliberg. In 1962, Baden also absorbed the adjacent village of Dättwil. On the right bank of the river is the village of Ennetbaden, formerly "Little Baden" (Kleine Bäder).

+ The hot sulfur springs, mentioned as early as the 1st century CE by the Roman historian Tacitus, still attract large numbers of people. The town, founded by the Habsburgs in 1291, was conquered in 1415 (with Aargau) by the Swiss Confederation. The Diet of the Swiss Confederation met at Baden from 1424 to 1712 in the old Town Hall (rebuilt in 1497). Baden was the capital (from 1798 to1803) of the former canton Baden. The town is dominated on the west by the ruined castle of Stein, a former Habsburg stronghold. To the northwest of the baths is a modern industrial quarter with electrical-engineering works and other factories.

+ Switzerland’s thermal springs with the highest mineral concentration bubble out from 18 sulphurous springs in Baden. The town has been famous as a lively curative resort since Roman times, when Baden was known as "Aquae Helveticae." A bathing quarter with ostentatious buildings, to help offer relief to sufferers of rheumatism and circulatory diseases, was an early town feature on the shores of the river Limmat. Notable people such as Goethe, Nietzsche, and Dürrenmatt sought out the Baden thermal springs in which to relax. Bathing is carried out in the public thermal baths, wellness packages being more common in the private baths. The spa quarter with its many hotels is an oasis of tranquility. The purpose behind the building of the thermal bath by architect Mario Botta is to transform the unique thermal springs back into a visitor attraction, meeting place, and flagship landmark of the town of Baden.