Mattoni & the Decline of Kyselka

Mattoni is almost synonymous with mineral water in the Czech lands. There is no greater indication of this then the fact that people order a ‘matonka’ when they want a mineral water, irrespective of the brands available. The brand has its roots in the nineteenth century craze for spa therapy. But while the bottled water is still available and thriving, the town of Kyselka, where the spring is located, has suffered from years of neglect.

The use of mineral water for medicinal purposes has a long history in Europe, and the Czech lands are no exception. The first record of the spring at Kyselka is from 1522. It’s conceivable that local people may have used these springs years or centuries before they were officially discovered.

The resort itself flourished under his ownership. The Chapel of St. Anna was completed in 1884. It is said Mattoni came here to pray for his sick daughter Kamilka. An inhalation pavilion was opened in 1885 and a new colonnade was opened in 1901.

The colonnade was designed by Karl Haybäck, who designed a number of buildings in Vienna and Karlovy Vary. While Haybäck is not exactly a household name, he has been praised by Austrian architectural critics for the individuality in his design, which undoubtedly lent the town its ornate and picturesque character.

While the health benefits are not as widely accepted by the medical fraternity today, mineral water is clearly a part of Czech culture and history. It retains a strong association with luxury and fine dining. Mattoni is without doubt one of the best known of these brands. However, as the history and current protests show, you can take the water from the town but perhaps the town can’t be taken out of the water.

Over time, the town attracted a more diverse group of people. Some of the buildings were used for other purposes; one of the pavilions became a cinema and the complex was used as a children’s hospital in the 1970s. The construction of schools in the Radošov section further changed the character of the town away from an exclusive resort.

The water still flowed. Západočeská zřídla, the state-run company, bottled the water from Kyselka from the sixties through to the eighties; the plant’s output increased from 9 to over 13 million liters of water during this time. But the resort’s heyday was long gone. After the revolution, there was a failed attempt to privatize the facilities. The spring was later bought by Karlovarské minerálni vody a.s., who now sells Mattoni today.

Kadrman acknowledges that restoring spa culture in Kyselka does not make sense at this time, when the state does not support spa treatment. For him, it is a ‘what-if’. “At this moment, it is imperative to protect the buildings from further devastation. That is priority number one.”

Kadrman added that Karlovarské minerálni vody a.s. hasn’t spent a single crown on repairs in the twenty years of ownership. “They don’t have any interest in cultural heritage,” he said.

The initiative has obtained 40,000 signatures, and has gained support from a number of high profile Czechs such as the musician David Koller, author of Alois Nebel, Jarolsav Rudiš of the music group Tatabojs, and model Agáta Hanychová. Hanychová was even in a clip for the campaign, which has since been brought down for infringing upon Karlovarské minerálni vody’s copyright.

With opinions so divided, it seems an agreement will be a long way off. For the time being, Mattoni remains a household name, though maybe not in the way Karlovarské minerálni vody a.s. wants.

Should the town of Kyselka be saved?

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