The lush Renaissance-style facade of the Friedrichsbad is adorned with two panels bearing the following inscription from Goethe’s Faust in gold letters:[2] „Wunderwirkend strömt die Welle, Strömt der heisse Dampf der Quelle, Muth wird freier, Blut wird neuer, heil dem Wasser, heil dem Feuer!“ [Working wonders the wave is streaming Streaming the hot steam of the spring Feelings become freer, blood newer Hail water!

During the public discussions about casinos that had been going on for a number of years, the city of Baden-Baden was looking for alternatives in order to remain attractive to spa guests.

Together with the grand ducal spa doctor and Medical Councilor Dr. Carl Frech, he was commissioned to visit well-known health baths in order to implement the knowledge gained for the construction of the Friedrichsbad.

Direct architectural models for the Friedrichsbad are the Raitzenbad in Budapest and the Graf-Eberhardsbad (today Palais Thermal) in Wildbad, which Dernfeld visited during his trip with Dr. Frech to get to know the most important health resorts in Germany and Austria-Hungary.

From depths of between 1200 and 1800 metres, the water reaches the surface at temperatures ranging from 56 °C to 68.8 °C from a total of twelve separate sodium chloride-bearing artesian springs.