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 Karlovy Vary or Charles Spa if you wish (pop 52, 000), was founded by the Roman Emperor Charles IV. The establishment of a permanent spa settlement in the Hot Spring area is being placed around year 1350. Charles IV allegedly got to know the healing effects of thermal water himself as he treated his lame leg and felt relief and improvement.
The Hot Spring (Vřídlo in Czech) releases 2 thousand liters of mineral water a minute at temperature of 73 degrees Celsius. It is captured by 4 drills (depth of 48-88 meters). One of them is The Hot Spring Fountain shooting up over 10 meters into the air; the rest supplies the spa operations by thermal water.
Apart from the Hot Spring, the other springs are only offshoots of one output and therefore have the same chemical composition. They are cooled down on the way into spring openings and have lower temperatures.
The popularity of the spa was enhanced by Dr David Becher (1725-1792). He introduced several new treatment methods (balanced drinking and bathing cures, therapeutic walks, etc.). Becher discovered the presence of carbon dioxide in the local mineral waters. He also promoted export of the Hot Spring mineral salts which brought significant financial revenue to the town.
A local pharmacist of the same surname, Josef Becher, created a well known bitter liqueur called ´Becherovka´ in 1807. His son Johann (Jan) boosted production and nowadays we find his signature on every bottle label as a symbol of quality guarantee. Becherovka is sometimes called the 13th curative spring.
The time period of 1870-1910 is known as the Golden Age of Karlovy Vary. The town became connected to the European railway system which led to the huge increase of the spa visit rate. The present look of this spa town is the result of construction boom mainly in the architectural style of Historicism and Art Nouveau.
The Mill Colonnade, a project of architect Josef Zítek (the author of the National Theater in Prague), has been a pride of Karlovy Vary ever since. Other jewels include the Imperial Spa, Grand hotel Pupp, Town Theatre, Elisabeth Spa (Spa 5), the Park Colonnade, the Market Colonnade, St Mary Magdalene’s Church, etc.
The town’s population at that time was about 18 thousand inhabitants. Germans made up 91 %, Jews 8, 5 %, Czechs 0, 5 %.
The end of WWII brought the expulsion of Germans followed by the communist rule of the country from 1948-1989. Its impact is also reflected in the town’s appearance.
The Hot Spring Colonnade (1975) replaced the original cast-iron colonnade demolished in 1939 due to corrosion. This structure along with Hotel Thermal (1976) is the prime example of the communist era monstrous architecture.
There are plenty of hiking trails in the woods surrounding the Teplá (Warm) River Valley.
To get uphill without an effort is possible by riding a funicular railway to Diana Lookout Tower. Other lookouts offering outstanding views of Karlovy Vary are Charles IV Lookout (the oldest lookout tower built in 1877), Stag’s jump, the Three Crosses Hill, etc.
The town of Karlovy Vary is set in charming hilly scenery and for its rich history and spa tradition is definitely worth to see.
To view pictures of Karlovy Vary, go to our photo gallery
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