History - Karlovy Vary

The origins and development of Karlovy Vary have always been linked to the therapeutic effects of the warm mineral springs. We must go back to the period around the year 1349 for information about the permanent settlement of the area, even though records of the first actual settlement date back much further. According to legend, the Karlovy Vary springs were discovered in the middle of the 14th century by Charles IV when out hunting deer. In the year 1370, Charles IV, the Bohemian and Roman king, granted the existing capital town freedom and rights. Then at the beginning of the 17th century, drinking treatment began to overshadow treatment in the form of bathing. However, the development of the town was strongly influenced during the 16th and 17th centuries by natural disasters and wartime events. The revitalisation of spa activity came about at the end of the 17th century with an influx of rich aristocratic visitors from Saxony, Russia, and Poland, as well as two visits made by Russian tsar Peter the Great in 1711 – 1712. The Hapsburg dynasty, and in particular Marie Terezie and Josef I, brought the town expansion and fame in that it provided the finances to develop the town and improve the administration. A further boom in spa activity took place during the 19th century, again thanks to the visits made by the aristocracy, artists, and writers (Goethe, Schiller), as well as composers and musicians (Beethoven, Chopin, Paganini). Thermal water was then exported as of 1844. The First and Second World Wars led Karlovy Vary into dismal economic problems, but building improvements, renovation work, and modernisation were all undertaken once the wars were over. Today Karlovy Vary is the most famous Czech spa of all.

Culture - Karlovy Vary

Karlovy Vary can offer countless cultural possibilities and you can quite happily spend your free time here in theatres, cinemas, art galleries, or museums with rich programmes of events. Perhaps you would prefer to visit the library or observatory. If you find yourself in Karlovy Vary, you should not miss out on a visit to the castles and chateaux in the area. A host of exhibitions that cover a range of different subjects are arranged in the galleries and museums. In fact the town is very rich and flexible culturally. It is also home to one of the most famous hotels in the Czech Republic, the Grandhotel Pupp, at which the International Film Festival is staged, a number of concerts, and other prominent cultural events.

Sport - Karlovy Vary

The town has plenty of sports complexes, playing fields, and pools to choose from, whilst the surrounding area is practically made for active breaks and sporting activity. Here you will come across a multitude of wide-open spaces, parks, and playing fields. The town itself also houses some sports centres. Hikers, football enthusiasts, golf fanatics, athletics fans, and general enthusiasts of fitness, swimming and diving, and tennis come into their own here. In addition to the spa, the town is also home to a number of outdoor and indoor swimming pools. Perhaps the best-known sporting events in the town are the races and ice hockey, whilst there is a highly-developed infrastructure for cycling in terms of active sport.

Tours - Karlovy Vary

A walk along the promenade of the main street is an experience in itself if you are in Karlovy Vary, home as it is to a number of colonnades, thermal springs and normal springs, and shops. One of the most interesting features of Karlovy Vary is the building known as “U tří mouřenínů” (The Three Blackamoors). This is a building that became famous due to the fact that the poet Goethe stayed here a total of nine times. There are a number of observation towers and viewing points in the town itself and the surrounding area. Indeed there is a cable way to take you up to the Diana observation tower (547 metres above sea level), which has become one of the most dominant features of the town. The surrounding area is also able to boast such places as Loket Castle, Hartenštejn, Bečov nad Teplou Chateau, Chyše, Boží dar, and the renaissance Manětín Chateau, whilst the natural attractions on offer without doubt include the Slavkovský forest area.