Market Colonnade

The seep of the mineral spring located in the historical Tržiště (Market) below Zámecká věž (Castle Tower), which is known as the Charles IV Spring, was originally called Žrout (Glutton) and according to legend, Emperor Charles IV himself healed is ailing limbs with its waters. The oldest baths in Karlovy Vary once stood on this site. The spring seeps were originally protected by a simple columnar arbour and a short promenade hall. The current richly carved wooden colonnade was built in Swiss style on the site of the old Town Hall according to the design of famous Viennese architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer between the years 1882 and 1879. The own construction of the colonnade, intended as a temporary structure, was commissioned to master carpenter Oesterreicher from Vienna. During 1904 and 1905, the colonnade was prolonged to cover the seep of the Market Spring based on the design of the Director of the Municipal Building Office, Franz Drobny.

http://www.karlovyvary.cz/en/history-market-colonnade

Park Colonnade

History of the structure

The richly decorated cast-iron colonnade was originally a part of a two-wing roofed promenade veranda of the Blanenský Pavilion in Dvořákovy sady (Dvořák's Park) behind Vojenský lázeňský ústav (Army Spa Institution). The concert and restaurant hall was assembled from cast-iron parts made at the Blansko Iron Works. It was constructed by local builder Josef Waldert according to the design of famous Viennese architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer between the years 1880 and 1881. The grand opening of the complex took place on 5 June 1881 at the occasion of the start of the spa season. In 1965, the Blanenský Pavilion and a part of the double-wing promenade veranda had become so dilapidated that they had to be demolished. Only the east promenade wing, which is known as the Park Colonnade today, has been preserved from the vast complex. Between the years 2000 and 2002, the city of Karlovy Vary launched an extensive reconstruction of the colonnade. The seep of the Snake Spring has been newly brought out to the colonnade during the reconstruction and the seep of Sadový pramen (Park Spring) is also accessible from the Park Colonnade, namely in the underground premises of Vojenský lázeňský ústav (Army Spa Institution).

http://www.karlovyvary.cz/en/park-colonnade-0 

Hot Spring Colonnade

Originally, the seep of the Hot Spring was covered by light structures and pavilions that could be easily replaced after repeated bursts and unexpected therm irruptions. The spacious Baroque Vřídelní sál (Hot Spring Hall) built in its vicinity in 1774 reflected the application of the curative methods of Dr. David Becher who laid great emphasis on drinking the healing waters directly at the source. The very first uniform architectonic concept of the area surrounding the Hot Spring was embodied by the Empire Hot Spring Colonnade built according to the design of Josef Esch in 1826. It was replaced by the new cast-iron Hot Spring Colonnade constructed in Pseudo-Renaissance style according to the design of Viennese architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer between the years 1878 and 1879. Unfortunately, the corroded colonnade had to be disassembled in 1939 and replaced by a temporary wooden structure for the next 27 years. In 1975, the new modern glass and reinforced concrete colonnade was built in Functionalistic style according to the design of architect Jaroslav Otruba. The geyser of the Hot Spring is in a separate pavilion and it gushes to a height of almost 12 metres. The glass-prism dome arching over the seep of the Hot Spring is the work of sculptor Jan Fišer and symbolises the beating heart of the spa town. The spacious promenade hall houses five additional spring bowls, marked A, B, and C, in which thermal water is cooled to a temperature of 50 and 30°C in order to be suitable for the drinking cure. You may also find souvenir stands and an exhibition area at the gallery of the promenade hall.

http://www.karlovyvary.cz/en/history-hot-spring-colonnade

The Symbol of Františkovy Lázně

The symbol of Františkovy Lázně is a statue of a boy with a fish. After the war, the originally park statue created in 1924 by a native sculptor, Adolf Mayerl, was placed in front of Společenský dům (Social House) where it became a popular object of photographs, especially among female patients. To make František (as the statue is called among locals) even more popular, Mr. Škarda, a spa photographer, made up one of the nicest legends in Bohemia – according to the legend, every female patients who touches the left leg of the statue will become pregnant. Today, you may find the original statue at the town museum and its, as popular copy, in front of the Social House.

http://cestovani.kr-karlovarsky.cz/en/pronavstevniky/Turistickecile/AJ/Pages/FrantiskovyLazne.aspx

Franz's Spa - Balneology

The actual history of Františkovy Lázně began long before its foundation. In the Middle Ages, girls earning their livelihood as water carriers brought water from Františkův pramen (Franz's Spring) to the nearby town of Cheb where people drank it as table water. Františkovy LázněLater, its curative effects were discovered by physicians and the spring became the most sought-after curative water in Europe. In those times, an illness was perceived as inundation of the human body by poisonous liquids. Contemporary doctors believed that it was necessary to eliminate these liquids from the body by bleeding or by literally washing them away with mineral water containing salt and sulphur, which bind harmful substances. Drinking cures combined with promenades by the spring and purification baths thus laid the foundations for the spa and its golden age. In this spirit, Franz's Spring was used as a cure for almost all diseases, especially for female infertility. Mud baths utilising the local high-quality iron sulphate peat and baths using natural carbon dioxide emanations soon became popular in Františkovy Lázně. Current balneological treatment is based on traditional, scientifically attested treatment methods. Diseases treated in Františkovy Lázně embrace heart and blood circulation diseases, diseases of the locomotive organs, and gynaecological diseases, including infertility. Treatment with the aid of natural resources comprises peat-mud baths, peat-mud wraps, dry carbon baths, gas injections, and carbon baths. As in the past, the ambience of Františkovy Lázně contributes in a way to the overall success of the treatment – all the paths lead through parks, the spa houses are decorated with flowers, visitors are surrounded by peace and tranquillity as if in a different time dimension.

http://cestovani.kr-karlovarsky.cz/en/pronavstevniky/Turistickecile/AJ/Pages/FrantiskovyLazne.aspx

Franz's Spa

Františkovy Lázně (German: Franzensbad) was founded on 27 April 1793 as the Village of Emperor Franz and in 1807, it was officially named Františkovy Lázně (English: Franz's Spa). The spa is named after Franz I, Emperor of Austria, who is considered as its founder. The initially rural spa with a single spring known as Františkův pramen (Franz's Spring), a wooden colonnade, a few spa houses and a Social House soon became one of the most sought-after European spa resorts.The original village with lanes and the present-day Národní třída (National Avenue) serving as the spa promenade was broadened by three parallel streets to form a town layout. In order to achieve a genuine spa ambience, the current historical centre was surrounded by a wide belt of English parks that were to change the village into a garden town. All newly-built streets lead along the green belt, creating one of the most enchanting spa resorts in Europe – a spa embraced by a sea of parks and forest parks. In 1865, Emperor Franz Josef I. raised Františkovy Lázně to the status of a town. After connecting to the railway network in Saxony, Bavaria and Bohemia, the spa became a truly world resort and during its golden days before World War I, it was annually visited by up to 20,000 patients and almost 80,000 so-called “passer-by’s” – spa tourists. In the 1920’s and 1930’s, staying at the spa at least once in a year became quite fashionable among the high society. After World War II, the spa complex was nationalised and a single state-owned enterprise almost equal in size to the town itself was founded under the name Československé státní lázně a zřídla (Czechoslovak State Spas and Springs). Using the contemporary language, the spa served the working people and only a small number of foreign clients. The good level of medical care provided by physicians and medical staff was retained, however, the therapeutic facilities and spa houses were only renovated, and the development of the spa stagnated. In 1991, the majority of the therapeutic facilities were taken over by the joint-stock company Lázně Františkovy Lázně, a.s., which introduced a comprehensive plan of the reconstruction of all spa houses, as well as its concept of returning Františkovy Lázně among the world spa resorts. A similarly challenging plan was set out by the town management and today, newly-opened pensions and therapeutic facilities are being successfully run by private entrepreneurs. In 1992, Františkovy Lázně was declared an urban monument reserve and this began a completely new chapter of the history of the spa town. 

http://cestovani.kr-karlovarsky.cz/en/pronavstevniky/Turistickecile/AJ/Pages/FrantiskovyLazne.aspx

Loket Castle

The history of the town of Loket

At the beginning of the 13th century, Loket, a royal castle was built on a landmark promontory within the Ohře River bend. It used to be called the "Key to the Czech Kingdom". Soon after, a small town, first mentioned in 1288, arose below the castle. In the early 15th century the royal town was fortified and turned into an important focal point of the Czech Crown. In the course of the 19th century, the town became famous for its local porcelain factory. However, industrial production was located in the surrounding towns. The town regained its former fame in the time of beginning tourism bloom, when the local area of great natural beauty and numerous historical monuments became increasingly popular with holidaymakers and romantics.

Attractions of the town of Loket

The most visited historical monument in the town is Loket Romanesque castle from the early 13th century. In the days of the House of Luxembourg, the castle served as a temporary residence of members of the royal family. During the Thirty Year War it was conquered and plundered by Swedish troops. The abandoned castle burnt down in 1725, and was rebuilt into a regional jail in 1822. In the late 20th century, the castle underwent a complete reconstruction and was subsequently open to the public. The dominant feature of the castle is a massive square tower. The gallery on its top offers a magnificent view of the town of Loket and the Ohře River valley. The castle museum features an exhibition of products from local factories, weapons, and an archaeology exhibition. Several floors of cold and damp dungeons with a torture demonstration are hidden in the underground. Below the castle stands a late Gothic parish church of St. Wenceslas with Baroque features. It was built after a fire in 1473. Not far from Loket Baroque town hall in the square you can find a magnificent Baroque column with a sculpture of the Holy Trinity with a triangular ground plan by sculptor Johann Karl Stülp from 1719. Another tourist attraction of the town is a family brewery known as Saint Florian, founded in 2006, which resumes the tradition of beer brewing in Loket. In a romantic setting of the space below the castle lies a unique natural amphitheatre hosting various cultural events, theatre and opera performances, concerts and festivals, in front of the exquisite scenery of the lighted castle looming high above the Ohře River.The small town of Loket, situated within the Slavkov Forest Protected Landscape Area, is surrounded by beautiful countryside and as such serves as a starting point of several marked tourist routes. The most popular trail will lead you from Loket through a romantic valley of the Ohře River past a protected granite rock city known as the Svatoš Rocks all the way to Karlovy Vary. The whole valley is only accessible to pedestrians and cyclists and therefore is a favourite destination for walks and relaxation. You can rent a canoe or raft in one of Loket boat rentals and go down the river through its deep canyon. 

http://www.karlovyvary.cz/en/castle-loket