5 things you didn't know about Czech spa towns

Legend has it that the thermal springs in Western Bohemia were discovered by the Czech king, Charles IV, during the 14th century. The story goes that the king was on a hunting expedition near the royal castle at Loket when the pursuit of a deer led him to a thermal pool. The king’s doctor suggested that he bathe his injured leg in the warm water, leading to a successful cure, and Charles subsequently ordered that a town be founded on the site of the hot spring. This tale of the first royal spa treatment is most likely apocryphal, but it’s true that the largest and most famous spa town in the region still bears the king’s moniker, known today as “Carlsbad” (Charles’ Bath), or Karlovy Vary.

Karlovy Vary is closely bound to German literary giant Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Goethe harbored a deep love for the Bohemia spa culture, famously stating he could live only in Weimer, Rome or Karlovy Vary. Over a 33-year period between 1785-1823, he made thirteen trips to the Bohemian spa resort, cumulatively spending three whole years of his life taking the waters. There he would write poems and diary entries, make drawings and geological studies, and set about exploring the beauty of the surrounding countryside.

Czech spa towns have always attracted prominent cultural figures of the day. Following in the royal tradition established by Charles IV, European monarchs such as Russian Czar Peter the Great and Austrian Emperor Franz Josef came to Bohemia to take the waters. Composers such as Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, and Paganini were celebrated visitors to the town. Other high-profile guests included philosophers, authors, and scientists, such as Dobrovský, Gogol, and Freud. Karlovy Vary’s popularity with celebrity visitors continues to this day, thanks to the annual Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, which unfailingly attracts Hollywood A-listers. Recent visitors include Jude Law, Robert de Niro, Renee Zellweger, Robert Pattinson, and Uma Thurman. Each year, expectant crowds line the spa colonnades for the festival’s renowned press conferences – whose popularity stems from their being held in public view on the colonnades – allowing festival visitors a chance to brush shoulders with the stars.

In July 2021, the Czech Republic’s West Bohemian Spa Triangle was granted UNESCO World Heritage Status. The triangle consists of the three picturesque towns of Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně, and Františkovy Lázně, and they join eight other European spa towns that now receive UNESCO protection. The award recognizes the exceptional quality of the architecture in these spa towns, as well as the importance of the treatment and balneotherapy methods, which were developed in the 18th century and continue to this day. It’s fair to say that there must be something in the water, as these spa towns successfully competed with large metropolises and became important sources of artistic, social, and political activity in their own right – a remarkable feat that has led to their special UNESCO status.

The spa at Karlovy Vary boasts more than 80 hot springs, all interconnected and rising more than two kilometers from deep underground. The warmest of them, the Vřidlo spring, emerges as a geyser in the Vřidlo colonnade hall, spurting up to 12 meters into the air. At 73°C, it’s scalding hot, so it is cooled before being used for treatments. Historically, a typical treatment program would consist of drinking regular doses of hot mineral water, accompanied by gentle walks along the colonnades.