The West Bohemia Spa Triangle
Czech Republic
The three spa towns in West Bohemia - Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázne and Frantiskovy Lázne - are known as the West Bohemian Spa Triangle.
Karlovy Vary is the largest spa town in the Czech Republic, with numerous mineral water springs. It has existed as a spa resort since the Middle Ages and was named after Emperor Charles (Karel) IV. Its role as a spa resort has prevailed throughout its history. In this respect it has no match in the territory of the Czech Republic. The spa part of the town is picturesquely set along the deep valley of the Teplá River, surrounded by wooded slopes.
The town owes its present appearance mainly to the construction boom in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Adjacent to the compact area of the spa zone, there are residential areas with lofty villas. Downtown parks, together with the forest-parks on the town's fringe give a touch of nature to the town's environment. There are a number of lookout towers and summer houses and a network of walk routes in the parks and forests. As to style and atmosphere, Karlovy Vary is a typical cosmopolitan spa resort. In town planning terms, the historical part of the spa town has remained almost intact and the town has preserved its outstanding heritage value.
Mariánské Lázne is, in terms of area, one of the largest spa complexes in the Czech Republic.
This spa town does not have a long history. It was established in the period of Classicism, early in the 19th century. Its creators changed an inhospitable valley into a charming park town with Classicist and Empire houses, gazebos, garden houses and colonnades.
The focus of the town is in the central park with the Main Colonnade where the wooded valley widens. The spa and residential houses form a ring around the park, spread over the slopes and extend downstream along the valley.
The Classicist spa buildings prevail in the architectural picture of the town (pavilions over the springs and part of the residential area). Like in Karlovy Vary, spa and residential buildings and villas built in the 19th and early 20th centuries predominate in Mariánské Lázne. They represent a wide range of architectural expressions or historism and Art Nouveau. Curing houses and spa hotels as well as the buildings over the springs and the colonnades (generally the most characteristic spa buildings in this town) have all been well preserved. As to the nature of the buildings, Mariánské Lázne is a typical European buildings complex of cosmopolitan nature. The well-preserved urban structure makes Mariánské Lázne one of the exceptionaly intact heritage ensembles.
Frantiskovy Lázne represents one of the most important spa complexes in the Czech Republic both in terms of size and in terms of the quality of the preserved buildings.
From the heritage point of view, Frantiskovy Lázne boasts the most intact ensemble of spa buildings in the West Bohemian Spa Triangle.
Frantiskovy Lázne was officially founded in 1793 and the place was named after Emperor Franz (Frantisek) III. However, the local healing springs were already well-known in the Middle Ages. Although built for the most part in the period of Classicism (like Mariánské Lázne), Frantiskovy Lázne has an entirely different urban composition. The core of the spa town has an orthogonal plan view with a network of parallel streets, densely lined with Classicist, Empire and Historicist buildings. From the very beginning, construction efforts in the spa town have respected the idea of architectural unity. This urban unit is surrounded by a large park with the individual spa buildings (Classicist for the most part) over the springs. More recent parts of the town, consisting of well-designed historicist spa houses surround the park. The complex includes all types of buildings a spa resort of pan-European importance needs: hotels and guest houses, pavilions over the springs, the colonnade, large spa buildings, a church, theatre, small structural objects and sculptures.