Karlovy Vary is named afterCharles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and theKing of Bohemia, who founded the city in the 14th century. The site of numeroushot springs, the city grew into a spa resort in the 19th century and was a popular destination for the European aristocracy and other luminaries. Karlovy Vary's rapid growth was brought to an end by the outbreak ofWorld War I. After theVelvet Revolution in 1989, Karlovy Vary once again became a major tourist destination.
Karlovy Vary is the most visited spa town in the Czech Republic. In 2021, the city became part of the transnational UNESCOWorld Heritage Site under the name "Great Spa Towns of Europe" because of its spas and architecture from the 18th through 20th centuries. The historic city centre with the spa cultural landscape is well preserved and is protected as anurban monument reservation.
The city is named after its founderCharles IV. The name Karlovy Vary (as well as the German exonymKarlsbad) means "Charles' Baths". The city was also colloquially calledWarmbad (German for 'hot bath').[3]
Karlovy Vary is located about 106 kilometres (66 mi) west ofPrague. The northern part of the municipal territory with most of the built-up area lies in a relatively flat landscape of theSokolov Basin. The southern part, including the valley of theTeplá River, lies in a hilly landscape of theSlavkov Forest and in the eponymous protected landscape area. The highest point is the hill Vítkův vrch at 642 m (2,106 ft) above sea level.
The city lies at the confluence of theOhře (which flows across the city) with the Teplá andRolava rivers. There are several small bodies of water in the northern half of the Karlovy Vary territory. The most notable is the natural reservoir Rolava, which is located right in the centre of the city. It is used for recreational purposes.[4]
Karlovy Vary's climate is classified ashumid continental climate (Köppen:Dfb;Trewartha:Dclo). Among them, the annual average temperature is 7.4 °C (45.3 °F), the hottest month in July is 17.2 °C (63.0 °F), and the coldest month is −1.8 °C (28.8 °F) in January. The annual precipitation is 568.4 millimetres (22.38 in), of which June is the wettest with 71.1 millimetres (2.80 in), while February is the driest with only 27.8 millimetres (1.09 in). The extreme temperature throughout the year ranged from −25.1 °C (−13.2 °F) on 21 December 1969 to 35.8 °C (96.4 °F) on 27 July 1983 and 20 August 2012.
Climate data for Karlovy Vary (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1961-present)
An ancient lateBronze Age fortified settlement was found in Drahovice. ASlavic settlement on the site of Karlovy Vary is documented by findings in Tašovice and Sedlec. People lived in close proximity to the site as far back as the 13th century and they must have been aware of the curative effects of thermal springs.[9]
From the end of the 12th century to the early 13th century, German settlers from nearby German-speaking regions came as settlers, craftsmen and miners to develop the region's economy. Eventually, Karlovy Vary/Karlsbad became a town with a German-speaking population.[10]
In 1325, Obora, a village in today's city area, was mentioned. Karlovy Vary as a small spa settlement was founded most likely around 1349.[9] According to legend,Charles IV organized an expedition into the forests surrounding modern-day Karlovy Vary during a stay inLoket. It is said that his party once discovered a hot spring by accident, and thanks to the water from the spring, Charles IV healed his injured leg.[11] On the site of a spring, he established a spa mentioned asin dem warmen Bade bey dem Elbogen in German, orHorké Lázně u Lokte (Hot Spas at the Loket).[12] The location was subsequently named "Karlsbad" after the emperor. Charles IV granted the town privileges on 14 August 1370. Earlier settlements can also be found on the outskirts of today's city.[9]
An important political event took place in the city in 1819, with the issuing of theCarlsbad Decrees following a conference there. Initiated by the Austrian Minister of StateKlemens von Metternich, the decrees were intended to implement anti-liberal censorship within theGerman Confederation.
Due to publications produced by physicians such as David Becher andJosef von Löschner, the city developed into a spa resort in the 19th century and was visited by many members of European aristocracy as well as celebrities from many fields of endeavour. It became even more popular after railway lines were completed fromPrague toCheb in 1870.
The number of visitors rose from 134 families in the 1756 season to 26,000 guests annually at the end of the 19th century.[citation needed] The greatest year for tourism was 1911, when the number of visitors reached 70,956.[13] World War I ended the development of tourism. Other disasters for tourism were the world economic crisis and the beginning of World War II.[14]
At the end of World War I in 1918, the largeGerman-speaking population of Bohemia was incorporated into the new state ofCzechoslovakia in accordance with theTreaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919). As a result, the German-speaking majority of Karlovy Vary protested. A demonstration on 4 March 1919 passed peacefully, but later that month, six demonstrators were killed by Czech troops after a demonstration became unruly.[15]
According to the 1930 census, the city was home to 23,901 inhabitants – 20,856 were ethnic Germans, 1,446 were Czechoslovaks (Czechs or Slovaks), 243 were Jews, 19 were Hungarians and 12 were Poles.[16]
After theVelvet Revolution in 1989, spas and tourism began to develop rapidly again. The spa buildings were reconstructed and the spa became competitive again within Europe.[14] The spa became popular with Russian clientele, and brought many Russian investors and developers to the city and its surroundings.[18]
In 2017, non-Czech residents were around 7% of the population of the Karlovy Vary region. After Prague, this is the highest proportion in the Czech Republic. The largest group of foreigners wereVietnamese, followed byGermans,Ukrainians andRussians.[19]
The city's economy is focused on services and only small and medium-sized industrial enterprises are based in it. The main industry is the food and beverage industry, characterized by the bottling of mineral waters and the production of unique delicacies. The largest industrial employer based in the city isMattoni 1873.[22] Karlovy Vary is known for the popular CzechliqueurBecherovka, which has been produced here since 1807. TheKarlovarské oplatky (Carlsbadwafers) originated in the city in 1867. The city has also lent its name to "Carlsbad plums", candied stuffedprune plums.
The other important industries are the production of glass and porcelain. Karlovy Vary is known for thelead glass manufacturerMoser Glass founded in 1857, which is considered the most luxurious Czech brand.[23]
Karlovy Vary is the most visited spa town in the Czech Republic.[24] As the principal city on the West Bohemian Spa Triangle and the largest spa complex in Europe, Karlovy Vary has over 80 springs,[25] but only 16 of them are for drinking.[26] They are a part of theEger Graben, a tectonically active region in western Bohemia. Although the infiltration area is several hundred square kilometres, each spring has the same hydrological origins, and therefore shares the same dissolved minerals and chemical formula. The hottest of the springs, Vřídlo, can approach 73.4 °C (164.1 °F), which makes it the hottest spring in the Czech Republic,[27] while the coldest have temperatures under 40 degrees. All of the springs combined provide roughly 2,000 litres of water every minute.[25]
Local buses (Dopravní podnik Karlovy Vary) andcable cars take passengers to most areas of the city. TheImperial funicular is the oldest tunnel funicular in Europe and the steepest in the Czech Republic, theDiana funicular was at the time of commissioning the longest funicular inAustria-Hungary.[28][29]
In the 19th century, Karlovy Vary became a popular tourist destination, especially known for international celebrities who visited for spa treatment. The city is also known for theKarlovy Vary International Film Festival, which is one of the oldest in the world and one of Europe's major film events.
The city has been used as the location for a number of film-shoots, including the 2006 filmsLast Holiday andCasino Royale, both of which used the city'sGrandhotel Pupp in different guises. Moreover, the Palace Bristol Hotel in Karlovy Vary was used as a model forThe Grand Budapest Hotel.
Karlovy Vary is notable for its large concentration of monuments and architecturally valuable buildings. The origin of most of them is connected with the spa tradition of the city. Since 2018, the spa centre of the city along the Teplá river and the wider surroundings with the spa cultural landscape have been protected as anurban monument reservation.[30] As part of theGreat Spa Towns of Europe, Karlovy Vary became a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site because of its spas and architecture from the 18th through 20th centuries.[31]
Císařské lázně is the most important spa building, protected as anational cultural monument. It was built in thehistoricist style of the French Neo-Renaissance in 1893–1895.[32] The largest colonnade with five mineral springs is theMill Colonnade (Czech:Mlýnská; pseudo-Renaissance structure, built in 1871–1881). The best-known spring is Vřídlo, located in Hot Spring Colonnade (Vřídelní; built inFunctionalistic style in 1975). The spring gushes out in a geyser up to 12 m (39 ft) high. Other colonnades in the city are Park Colonnade (Sadová;cast-iron architecture structure built in 1880–1881 byFellner & Helmer), Market Colonnade (Tržní; a wooden structure, built in Swiss style in 1882–1883 by Fellner & Helmer), and Castle Colonnade (Zámecká; built inArt Nouveau style in 1910–1912 byFriedrich Ohmann).[33]
The most valuable church is the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene. It is a Catholic church, built in the Baroque style in 1732–1736 on the site of an old Gothic church from the second half of the 14th century. It was built according to the design byKilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer and belongs to the most important buildings of theCzech Baroque. It is protected as a national cultural monument.[34]
The Church of Saint Andrew was built in the lateGothic style around 1500, reconstructed in theEmpire style in 1840–1841. A cemetery was established next to the church for foreign guests of the spa who died in Karlovy Vary. In 1911, the cemetery was converted into a park, known as Mozart's Park, with many Neoclassical tombstones. Since 2005, it is owned by theGreek Catholic Church.[36][37]
The Church of Saint Anne was built in the Baroque style in 1738–1749 on the site of an old church. It is a pilgrimage church, in the construction of which K. I. Dientzenhofer took part.[38]
The Church of Saints Peter and Paul is a pseudo-Gothic church, built in 1854–1856 and rebuilt in 1893–1894. Since 1946, it is property of theCzechoslovak Hussite Church.[39]
The Church of Saint Luke is aMethodist pseudo-Gothic two-aisle church, built in 1876–1877. It was built with the financial support of English spa guests. Today it no longer serves religious purposes and houses a wax museum.[40]
The Church of Saint Leonard of Noblac was the oldest ecclesiastical structure in the territory of Karlovy Vary. It was first documented in 1246. This late Romanesque structure is located in the woods south of the city proper, where a village used to be. From the end of the 15th century, after the village was depopulated, the church began to deteriorate and became a ruin.[41]
James Ogilvy, 7th Earl of Findlater (1750–1811), Scottish noble and an accomplished amateur landscape architect and philanthropist; regularly visited the spa and became a patron of the city
Jean de Carro (1770–1857), Swiss physician; published the Almanach de Carlsbad
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827), composer; came twice for spa treatments. In 1812, he performed a concert in the Czech Hall of theGrandhotel Pupp.
Adalbert Stifter (1805–1868), Austrian writer; treated here in 1865–1867
Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849), composer; he and his parents met for the last time during a holiday in Karlsbad, August/September 1835
Ivan Turgenev (1818–1883), Russian novelist; visited Karlsbad on numerous occasions
Key sites, from left to right, are: the dark grey Hot Spring Colonnade featuring a glass chimney. Directly above is the twin-steeple Church of St. Mary Magdalene. The large, stately building on the central hill is the Hotel Imperial. Below, to the right of the square, is the Opera House. The Grandhotel Pupp is the large white building, far right.
^Ivan Lutterer, Milan Majtán, Rudolf Šrámek (1982).Zeměpisná jména Československa: slovník vybraných zeměpisných jmen s výkladem jejich původu a historického vývoje (in Czech).{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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