Mariánské Lázně(Czech pronunciation:[ˈmarɪjaːnskɛːˈlaːzɲɛ];German:Marienbad) is aspa towninCheb Districtin theKarlovy Vary Regionof theCzech Republic.It has about 14,000 inhabitants. Most of the town's buildings come from its Golden Era in the second half of the 19th century, when many celebrities and top European rulers came to enjoy the curative carbon dioxide springs.
Mariánské Lázně | |
|---|---|
 Colonnade with Singing Fountain | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Mariánské Lázně Location in the Czech Republic | |
| Coordinates:49°57′53″N12°42′4″E/ 49.96472°N 12.70111°E | |
| Country |  Czech Republic |
| Region | Karlovy Vary |
| District | Cheb |
| First mentioned | 1273 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Martin Hurajčík (ANO) |
| Area | |
• Total | 51.79 km2(20.00 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 578 m (1,896 ft) |
| Population (2024-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 14,225 |
| • Density | 270/km2(710/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1(CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2(CEST) |
| Postal code | 353 01 |
| Website | www |
| Part of | The Great Spa Towns of Europe |
| Criteria | Cultural: (ii)(iii) |
| Reference | 1613 |
| Inscription | 2021 (44thSession) |
The town centre with the spa cultural landscape is well preserved and is protected by law as anurban monument reservation.In 2021, the town became part of the transnational UNESCOWorld Heritage Siteunder the name "Great Spa Towns of Europe"because of its springs and architectural testimony to the popularity of spa towns in Europe during the 18th through 20th centuries.[2][3]
Administrative parts
editThe town is made up of the town parts and villages of Mariánské Lázně, Hamrníky, Chotěnov-Skláře, Kladská, Stanoviště and Úšovice.
Geography
editMariánské Lázně is located about 25 kilometres (16 mi) southeast ofCheband 31 km (19 mi) southwest ofKarlovy Vary.The municipal territory extends into threegeomorphological regions:the eastern part lies in a hilly landscape of theTeplá Highlands,the southwestern part with most of the built-up area lies in a flat area of theUpper Palatine Forest Foothills,and the northern tip lies in theSlavkov Forest.Most of the territory lies in the Slavkov Forest Protected Landscape Area.
TheTepláRiver originates in the woods in the northeastern part of the municipal territory. The streamKosový potokflows thorugh the southern part of Mariánské Lázně. Its tributary, the stream Úšovický potok, flows through the town proper.
History
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German settlers were called into this region byBohemianrulers from thePřemyslid dynastyin the 12th century.
Although the town itself is only about two hundred years old, the locality has been inhabited much longer. The first written record dates back to 1273, when there was a village of Úšovice. The springs first appear in a document dating from 1341 where they are called "the Auschowitzer springs" belonging to theTeplá Abbey.It was only through the efforts of Josef Nehr, the abbey's physician, who from 1779 until his death in 1820 worked hard to demonstrate the curative properties of the springs, that the waters began to be used for medicinal purposes. The place obtained its current name of Marienbad in 1808; became a watering-place in 1818, and received its charter as a town in 1868.[4]
By the early 20th century, approximately 1,000,000 bottles of mineral water were exported annually from Marienbad.[4]The water from the Cross Spring (Kreuzquelle, Křížový pramen) was evaporated and the final product was sold as alaxativeunder the name ofsal teplensis.The modern spa town was founded by theTepláabbots, namelyKarl Kaspar Reitenberger,who also bought some of the surrounding forests to protect them. The inhospitable marshland valley was changed into a park-like countryside with colonnades, neoclassical buildings and pavilions around the springs.
The name Marienbad first appeared in 1786; since 1865 it has been a town. Then came a second period of growth, the town's Golden Era. Between 1870 and 1914 many new hotels, colonnades and other buildings were constructed or rebuilt from older houses. In 1872 the town got a railway connection with the town ofCheband thus with the wholeAustro-Hungarian Empireand the rest of Europe.
The town soon became one of the top European spas, popular withnotable figures and rulers who often returned there.At that time, about 20,000 visitors came every year. It was also a popular resort and vacation venue for European rabbis and their Hasidic followers, accommodating their needs with kosher restaurants, religious prayer services, etc.[5]
Marienbad remained a popular destination betweenWorld War IandWorld War II.After World War II, the ethnic German population of the town was forciblyexpelledaccording to thePotsdam Agreement,thereby emptying the town of the majority of its population. After thecommunist coup-d'état in 1948,it was sealed off from most of its foreign visitors. After the return of democracy in 1989 much effort was put into restoring the town to its original character. Today it is a spa town and a popular holiday resort thanks to its location among the green mountains of theSlavkovský lesand theČeský les,sports facilities (the town's first golf course was opened in 1905 by theBritishKingEdward VII) and the proximity to other spa towns, such asKarlovy Vary(Karlsbad) andFrantiškovy Lázně(Franzensbad).
Demographics
editUntil theirexpulsionin 1945, the majority of the population of the town wereGerman.Afterwards, the Czechoslovak authorities repopulated the town with Czechs from the hinterland.
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Transport
editMariánské Lázně is located on three important railway lines: Prague–Cheb,Plzeň–Karlovy VaryandFrantiškovy Lázně–Bohumín.[8]
Mariánské Lázně Airportis situated on the southern border of the town.
Public transport
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The town's public transport is operated mainly by trolleybuses and accompanied by buses servicing the neighbouring villages. There are four trolleybus lines and four bus lines in operation.[9]
Sport
editThe town is represented by the football team FC Viktoria Mariánské Lázně, founded in 1945. It plays in lower amateur tiers.[10]
Mariánské Lázně has amotorcycle speedwayracing circuit. The venue,Mariánské Lázně Longtrack Speedway,hosted sixLong Track World Championfinals from 1976 to 1994 and five rounds of Grand-Prix racing (the most recent in 2011).[11]
The town is known for theRoyal Golf Club Mariánské Lázně.
Sights
editMineral springs and colonnades
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The top attraction of the town is its 100mineral springs(53 of them are tapped) with high carbon dioxide content and often also higher iron content, both in the town itself (40 springs) and its surroundings.[12]The water in the springs has an average temperature of 7–10 °C, and is formed through interactions with the deep fault lines that run under the region.[12]The mineral water is claimed to cure disorders of the kidneys and of the urinary tract, respiratory disorders, locomotive system disorders, metabolic disorders, oncological disorders and gynaecological disorders, including the treatment of sterility.[13]
Many of the springs have pavilions and colonnades built around them. Among them are:
- Křížový pramen(Cross Spring) – a monumental pavilion with a cupola bearing a patriarchal cross and 72Ioniccolumns was built over the spring in 1818–1826. Today's concrete building is a copy from 1911–1912, originally it was a light wooden and brick construction. The water from the spring is highly mineralized with a strong laxative effect, and has been used for both curative drinks and baths.[citation needed]
- Rudolfův pramen(Rudolph's Spring) – with a wooden pavilion built over the spring, some water is tapped and piped to the nearby colonnade and some is bottled. Its water is weakly mineralized with high calcium content and has been used to cure urinary problems.[citation needed]
- Karolinin pramen(Caroline's Spring) – named after the wife of the Emperor Francis I,Caroline Augusta.The nearby colonnade was built in 1869, the pavilion is a reconstruction from 1989. The water is weakly mineralized, with higher magnesium content.
- Ferdinandův pramen(Ferdinand's Spring) – the water from the spring, similar in composition toKřížový pramen,is bottled under the Excelsior label.
- Ambrožovy prameny(Ambrose's Springs)
- Lesní pramen(Forest Spring)
- Zpívající fontána(Singing Fountain)
The total yield of all of the springs is roughly 600 liters per minute.[12]
Churches
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Because of the diverse number of visitors the town is able to maintain churches of several denominations. These include the Anglican Church designed by the notable Victorian architectWilliam Burgesand founded by Lady Anna Scott in memory of her husband who died in Mariánské Lázně in 1867. The church was constructed in 1879, shortly before Burges's own death. It is no longer in use as a place of worship and is now a concert hall.[14]
Notable people
edit- Maurice Loewy(1833–1907), astronomer
- Werner Stark(1909–1985), sociologist and economist
- Eduard Petiška(1924–1987), poet and author
- Peter Hofmann(1944–2010), German tenor
- Alex Čejka(born 1970), golfer
- Jakub Flek(born 1992), ice hockey player
Notable visitors
editA number of notable people visited Mariánské Lázně, among them:[15][16]
- Edward VII,British King; took annual holidays here
- Franz Joseph I,Austrian Emperor
- Nicholas II,Russian Emperor
- Frederick Augustus III,King of Saxony
- Winston Churchill,British Prime Minister
- George S. Patton,General of the United States Army
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,German writer and statesman
- Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk,president of Czechoslovakia
- Edvard Beneš,president of Czechoslovakia
- Frédéric Chopin,Polish composer
- Alfred Nobel,Swedish innovator
- Richard Wagner,German composer
- Friedrich Nietzsche,German philosopher
- Mark Twain,American author
- Thomas Edison,American inventor
- Emmy Destinn,operatic soprano
- Jacky Fisher,British admiral[17]
Twin towns – sister cities
editMariánské Lázně istwinnedwith:[18]
Bad Homburg vor der Höhe,Germany
Chianciano Terme,Italy
Kiryat Motzkin,Israel[19]
Malvern,England, United Kingdom
Marcoussis,France- Weiden in der Oberpfalz,Germany
See also
edit- Marienbad Elegy,a poem byGoethe
- Last Year at Marienbad,a 1961 French film byAlain Resnais
References
edit- ^"Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024".Czech Statistical Office.17 May 2024.
- ^Landwehr, Andreas (24 July 2021)."'Great Spas of Europe' awarded UNESCO World Heritage status ".Deutsche Presse-Agentur.Retrieved25 July2021.
- ^"The Great Spa Towns of Europe".UNESCO World Heritage Centre.Retrieved25 July2021.
- ^abChisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911)..Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 714.
- ^Leitner, Dovid."The spa resort where European rebbes spent their summer vacations".The Forward.Retrieved7 January2021.
- ^"Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011"(in Czech).Czech Statistical Office.21 December 2015.
- ^"Population Census 2021: Population by sex".Public Database.Czech Statistical Office.27 March 2021.
- ^"Detail stanice Mariánské Lázně"(in Czech).České dráhy.Retrieved19 May2024.
- ^"Scheme of Bus Routes".mdml.cz.Retrieved19 May2024.
- ^"Fotbalový klub Viktoria Mariánské Lázně".sport-marianskelazne.cz(in Czech).Retrieved2 May2024.
- ^"Speedway and Longtrack".speedway.org.Retrieved28 March2024.
- ^abcNomination of the Great Spas of Europe for inclusion on the World Heritage List(Report). United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.Retrieved21 August2021.
- ^"Springs".Město Mariánské Lázně.Retrieved21 December2020.
- ^"Anglikánský kostel"(in Czech). Město Mariánské Lázně.Retrieved21 December2020.
- ^Smith, Craig S. (3 July 2007)."This Year at Marienbad, They're Still Taking the Waters".The New York Times.MARIANSKE LAZNE.Retrieved17 March2012.
- ^"Edward VII. a František Josef I. se opět setkali v Mariánských Lázních"(in Czech). Novinky.cz. 30 July 2014.Retrieved30 May2022.
- ^Massie, Robert(1991).Dreadnought.Random House.pp. 424–425.ISBN0394528336.
- ^"Partnerská města"(in Czech). Město Mariánské Lázně.Retrieved17 June2023.
- ^Zpravodaj města Mariánské Lázně 08/2018(in Czech), Město Mariánské Lázně, August 2018, p. 4
Further reading
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- Norddeutscher Lloyd (1896),"Marienbad",Guide through Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Holland and England,Berlin: J. Reichmann & Cantor,OCLC8395555,OL24839718M
- "Marienbad",Austria-Hungary,Leipzig: K. Baedeker, 1911,OL18759934M
- Zadoff, Mirjam (2012).Next Year in Marienbad: The Lost Worlds of Jewish Spa Culture.University of Pennsylvania Press.ISBN978-0-8122-0755-2.
External links
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- Official website
- Tourist information
- Mariánské Lázně travel guide
- Hamelika.cz– History of Mariánské Lázně (in Czech)
- Marienbad– Accommodation, sights and trips