Karlovy Vary (German: Karlsbad, Yiddish קרלסבאד) is a regional and statutory city in the Karlovy Vary district in western Bohemia, in the Karlovy Vary region, 110 km west of Prague at the confluence of the Ohře and Teplá rivers. Approximately 46 thousand inhabitants live here. Among other things, the glass and food industries are developed here. It is the most visited Czech spa town. Since 2021, it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List under the Famous Spa Cities of Europe item. The city is a member of the Euregio Egrensis Regional Association of Municipalities and Cities and the Water Management Association of Municipalities of Western Bohemia.
By plane
There are currently no scheduled flights from the small
international airport (IATA: KLV). The nearest major airport with more
international traffic is Prague internet wikipediacommons Airport (IATA:
PRG), about 110 km to the east.
By train
The upper station is
located just north of the city center. It lies on the railway line from
Ústí nad Labem to Cheb, which is served by express trains every two
hours.
Karlovy Vary can be reached from Prague in just over three
hours without having to change trains. The fare for a single journey is
the equivalent of less than €10.
There are connections from
Germany to Karlsbad, for example, from Nuremberg, from where it takes
about two and a half hours with a change in Cheb. From Berlin (journey
time approx. five and a half hours) and Dresden (journey time approx.
three and a half hours) change trains in Ústí nad Labem.
The
EgroNet ticket wikipedia. the Euregio Egrensis applies in the districts
of Greiz and Saale-Orla in Thuringia, in Hof, Kulmbach, Bayreuth,
Neustadt an der Waldnaab, Weiden, Tirschenreuth and Wunsiedel in Upper
Franconia, in Saxony in Vogtland, Zwickau and the western Ore Mountains
and in the Czech Republic in the region Karlovy Vary. The day pass for
second class costs 24 € (200 Kč in Czech Republic; plus 2 € in Germany
if bought at the counter) for the 1st person. For the 2nd to 5th person
the surcharge is 8 € (100 CZK) extra each. On the day of validity, you
can make as many journeys as you like with the participating transport
companies up until 3:00 a.m. the following day. You are also allowed to
take 3 children between the ages of 6 and 14 and any number of children
under the age of 6 with you. One bike per person is also free. The
surnames and first names of all travelers must be entered in block
letters on the ticket, ID cards must be carried.
By bus
The
Karlovy Vary bus station is located directly at the Karlovy Vary railway
station (Czech: u Autobusového nádraží Karlovy Vary a žel. stanice,
Karlovy Vary). From here there are several regional and national bus
connections. From the Prague-Florenc bus station you can take ČSAD buses
(check the connection at jizdnirady.idnes.cz and buy a ticket in a
travel agency with a ČSAD license, or directly in the main hall of the
Prague-Florenc bus station). The journey takes a little over two hours
and costs about 150 CZK (prices as of 2013, students with an ISIC card
are granted a 15% discount).
Passenger transport (Czech: Silniční
motorová doprava osobní) of regional and suburban public transport bus
lines (Czech: regionální a příměstské veříměstské veřejné dopravy
autobusových linek) in the region is provided by the company ČSAD
Autobusy Karlovy Vary, a.s. operated,
ČSAD Autobusy Karlovy Vary
a.s. (ČSAD), Sportovní 578/4, Karlovy Vary - Drahovice, 360 09. Tel.:
+420 353 226 221 (head office), +420 353 176 359 (control room), fax:
+420 353 226 744, e-mail: akv@autobusy-kv.cz. Open: Mon-Fri 08:00-15:30.
In the street
From Chemnitz, take the B95 trunk road to the
Oberwiesenthal border crossing and then via Jáchymov onto the E 442.
Those coming from Franconia should use the B303 through the
Fichtelgebirge to the Schirnding border crossing. Then it's fairly
straightforward - partly on highways - to Karlovy Vary. From Plauen in
Vogtland you drive again via Schöneck to the border crossing at
Klingenthal and on road 210 onto the R6 (toll sticker required).
Coming from Nuremberg, take the federal highway 6 to the Oberpfälzer
Wald junction, then continue on the federal highway 93 to Marktredwitz.
Continue on the B 303 through Arzberg, and you only see that you have
arrived in the Czech Republic at a gas station with a Czech sign.
Vignettes are also available here. On the E48, the R6 expressway, which
is similar to a motorway (subject to a vignette), has been continuously
expanded. It is planned to extend the E48 European route to the R 6 as
far as Prague.
City transport (Czech: městské dopravy) and suburban bus lines
(Czech: příměstské linky) in the Karlovy Vary area, as well as two
funicular railways (Czech: lanovky) in the city of Karlovy Vary are
operated by the company Dopravní Podnik Karlovy Vary a.s. operated.
Dopravní Podnik Karlovy Vary, Sportovní 656/1, Karlovy Vary, 360 09.
Tel.: +420 353 505 311, +420 353 226 035, mobile: +420 606 737 469, fax:
+420 353 505 333, e-mail : dpkv@dpkv.cz. Edit stop map info
There are
two funiculars "Diana" and "Imperial" in the municipality.
From
the valley station of the Diana funicular, you go behind the «Grand
Hôtel Pupp» up to the lookout tower of the same name and to the mountain
restaurant. The valley station can be reached on foot from the bus stop
(Omnibus stop Karlovy Vary, Lázně I), over the bridge to the "Grand
Hôtel Pupp" and turn right on the outside.
From the valley station of
the Imperial funicular, you drive up to the lower park entrance of the
«Hôtel Imperial». The valley station can be reached on foot from the bus
stop (Omnibus stop Karlovy Vary, Divadelní náměstí).
tickets
The “Diana” funicular, which is geared towards tourist needs, has its
own tariff (entire journey CZK 45, return journey full journey CZK 80).
In contrast, the following tickets are offered for the city bus and
the “Imperial” cable car: single ticket (valid for 60 minutes without
changing trains) adults CZK 18, reduced CZK 9. One-way ticket (valid for
60 minutes with transfers) adults CZK 25, reduced CZK 12. City tour line
adult 80,- CZK, reduced 25,- CZK. Day ticket (valid for 24 hours after
validation) 80 CZK. Weekly ticket (valid for 7 days incl. sightseeing
route) 200 CZK. Children under the age of 6 are transported free of
charge.
On the city bus, the driver only sells tickets for 25
CZK, reduced tickets for 12 CZK and day tickets for 80 CZK for cash. The
ticket office staff of the “Imperial” cable car only offer tickets
without transfer authorization for 18 CZK. Other tickets can only be
purchased in advance or by card from machines on city buses.
The highest concentration of monuments is located in the spa center of the city, along the river Teplé. A large part of the monuments has a specific spa character, such as colonnades, spa buildings or historical hotels. Above the spa center there are also observation towers and numerous viewpoints supplemented by various landmarks.
Historic spa buildings
Historical spa buildings were numbered
after 1918. Of the originally six spas, only four have been preserved to
this day, of which only two still serve their original purpose:
The Imperial Baths (Lázně I) were built at the end of the 19th century
according to the architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer. The
building of the Imperial Baths housed 120 bathrooms and cabins, as well
as an imperial bath. Zander's hall, originally used as a gymnasium, was
turned into a casino in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2010, the spa building
became a national cultural monument.
The hot spring baths (Lázně II)
were located near Vřídel and offered hot spring and carbonic baths. In
1940, the spa was closed and in 1947 it was demolished.
The Kurhaus
(Spa III) was built between 1864-1866 and serves its purpose to this
day. The building originally housed a steam bath with a pool and tubs
for carbonic baths and peat wraps.
Nové Lázně (Lázně IV) currently
serves as a shopping center. In the past, however, the city office was
also located here. The building was built at the end of the 19th
century.
Elizabeth's Spa (Lázně V) bears the name of Empress
Elizabeth of Bavaria (Sissi). The building was built at the beginning of
the 20th century. During the reconstruction at the turn of the 1960s and
1970s, the spa became the largest spa in Czechoslovakia. During the
reconstruction, the spa was also supplemented with a swimming pool.
Another reconstruction took place in 2002.
The Sun Baths (Lázně VI)
are an unpreserved monument. The spa was the youngest Karlovy Vary spa
built in 1927. The building was demolished in 2006 for structural
reasons. Lázně VI Apartment Building was built on the site of the
building.
Of the 28 Karlovy Vary springs, 16 (including the Dorotka and
Štěpánka springs) are captured and 13 are used for drinking treatments.
There are a total of five colonnades in the city:
Hot spring
colonnade – The hot spring is the largest source of thermal water in the
city
Mill Colonnade – Skalní pramen, Libuše spring, Prince Wenceslas
I and II spring, Mlýnský spring, Rusalka spring
Garden colonnade –
Hádí pramen, Garden spring
Pavilion at Mlýnská colonnade - Freedom
spring
Market Colonnade – Market Spring, Lower Castle Spring, Charles
IV Spring.
Castle colonnade - the spring Castle Upper
Monument to Ludwig van Beethoven – on the southern edge of the city
on the left bank of the Teplá River.
Monument to Antonín Dvořák - a
statue in the Dvořák Gardens.
Spirit of the springs – rock relief on
the Castle Colonnade (not accessible to the public).
Monument to
Johann Wolfgang Goethe - Bust on the Goethe Trail.
Statue of Hygieia
– in the Vřídelní Colonnade.
Statue of Hygieia – in the Garden
Colonnade.
Fryderyk Chopin monument – memorial plaque in the spa
woods.
Deer - sculpture behind the Richmond Hotel.
Deer Leap - a
chamois statue on a rock cliff above Stará Louka in the spa forests.
Statue of Charles IV. – on the facade of the Municipal Library building
in I. P. Pavlova Street.
Statue of Charles IV. – in front of the
Císařské lázně (Lázně I) in the gardens of Charles IV.
Statue of T.
G. Masaryk – in the city center on the corner of T. G. Masaryk and Dr.
David Becher.
Bust of Adam Mickiewicz – in the park near the Richmond
Hotel.
Bust of Peter the Great - in the spa forests on Peter's
Height.
Monument to Friedrich Schiller – on the southern edge of the
city by the Goethe path.
Bedřich Smetana monument – a statue in the
southern part of the city in the orchards near the Post Office.
Lion's head – sculpture in the rock above Slovenská Street.
Monument
to victims of the 1st and 2nd World War - a statue called Pieta, on the
square near the Thermal Hotel.
Monument to the soldiers of the
American Army - on the square near the Thermal Hotel.
Column of the Dukes of Cambridge - at the Mill Colonnade on Bernard's
Rock.
Jubilee column with a statue of Charles IV. – also called the
jubilee column with the statue of Charles IV, in the gardens of Jean de
Carro.
Findlater's Obelisk - in Spa Woods in the saddle below
Friendship Height.
Otto's Column – in the spa forests below the top
of Otto's Height.
Memorial column of the Karlovy Vary Wanderer Club -
in the spa woods by the afternoon path
Monument to Karel Filip
Schwarzenberg – in the park behind the Post Office on the southern edge
of the city.
Column of grateful Hungarians - by the road on the slope
below the Imperial Hotel.
Tereza's obelisk – in the spa forests near
the forest restaurant Jelení skok.
Churches
Church of St. Máří Magdaleny is a single-nave Baroque
building on Kostelní náměstí from 1732–1736, built by Kilián Ignác
Dientzenhofer on an ellipse plan with niches for chapels, with
significantly plastically modeled cornices and a cornice. A two-armed
staircase and two towers with onion-shaped shafts emerge in the facade.
The ceiling paintings and altarpiece were painted by Eliáš Dollhopf, the
main altarpiece by J.J. Mady depicts Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene,
two Gothic statues of the Madonna, the four statues on the main altar
were carved by Jakub Eberle and represent St. Augustine, St. Paul, St.
Jerome and St. Peter; there is a crypt under the floor.
Orthodox
Church of St. Peter and Paul in the years 1893–1897 designed by the
architect Gustav Wiedermann, on the King George, is a five-domed
building modeled after the Byzantine-Old Russian church in Ostankino
near Moscow. It was built with the help of patrons from among the
Russian aristocracy. The relief of the sculptor M. Hiller depicts Tsar
Peter I during the construction of the U pava house in 1711.
Church
of St. Urbana (13th century) Rybáře, Horní Kamenná – rebuilt after 1500
using the original elements of an older church or chapel, it is thus the
oldest preserved church building in the city, probably built in the
second half of the 13th century as part of colonization.
Church of
St. Peter and Paul from 1856, architect J. Zeissig, choir dr. Karel
Farský, until 1946 the Evangelical Church of St. Petra,
Mariánskolázeňská ul. Built in the neo-Romanesque style. In 1864, a
tower was added and the construction of the neighboring rectory started.
The interior of the church consists of an interesting altarpiece of the
Ascension of Christ. The carved wooden pulpit stands on three columns.
In the nave of the church there are tempered wooden benches and a metal
baptismal font. The pipe organ comes from the organist Müller from Cheb.
On the walls in the hall there is also a younger relief of Petr
Chelčický by Franta Anýž and a relief bust of ThDr. Karel Farský.
Pilgrimage Church of St. Anny in Sedlec built in 1739–1748, architect V.
Schmidt. It stands in a village with a history dating back to the 11th
century. Baroque altar, ancient statue of St. Anny with Maria and the
baby.
Greek Catholic Cemetery Church of St. Ondřej from the 16th
century, Ondřejská ul., the oldest church in Karlovy Vary, originally
Gothic, structurally modified several times. Adjacent cemetery abolished
in 1911, changed to Mozart's suites.
Anglican Church of St. Lukáš
from 1877, architect dr. Mothes, on Castle Hill. Built in neo-Gothic
style with the financial support of patrons from the ranks of English
spa guests.
The ruins of the Romanesque church of St. The
13th-century Linharta lies near the Linhart Forest Cafe. The oldest
building monument in Karlovy Vary, first mentioned in 1246. An
archaeological survey financed by the Karlovy Vary Museum was carried
out here.
The Church of the Ascension in Stará Roli from 1909, on the
site of an older chapel from 1823.
Church of the Ascension of St.
Crosses in Rybáry near the church of St. Urban.
Chapel of St. Lawrence - from 1897 modified in 1991, next to the Jan
Palach school.
Ecce homo chapel - from 1900, under the Diana lookout
tower. The sandstone statue of the crucified Christ by J. Parchalk,
which was donated by Countess Coudenhove, has disappeared.
Chapel of
St. Linharta - from 1838; Owl's Path, built at the initiative of Lady W.
Russell, rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style in the 1880s.
Chapel of the
Virgin Mary - from the year 1700, Mariánská ulička, built at the
initiative of Count Šternberk. 1879 rebuilt in Neo-Gothic style, 1993
restored.
The defunct chapel of Our Lady of the Beautiful - from
1800.
Schwarz's chapel, also the chapel of St. Anny - in Peter the
Great Street, late Baroque chapel, often appears in Goethe's drawings.
Chapel of St. Vavřince – from the 18th century, at the intersection of
Libušina, Nebozízek and Tylova streets.
Keglevič cross – above the left bank of the Teplá river at the end of
Stará louka street.
Memorial cross – memorial cross and torso of the
original Reconciliation Cross No. 1037 in Hřbitovní Street in Drahovice.
Peter's Lookout - west above the center of Karlovy Vary on Peter's
Height.
Rohan's cross – in the spa forests on the hill above Sokolský
hill.
Peace Cross on Na Milíři – by the Na Milíři road on the
property of the Bellevue Hotel.
Reconciliation Cross - at Findlater's
Obelisk - in the spa woods about 20m south of Findlater's Obelisk.
Three crosses - northwest of the city of Karlovy Vary in the spa
forests.
Statue of St. Bernard of Clairvaux – on the edge of Bernard's Rock
near the Mill Colonnade.
Statue of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate
Conception - on the hill above the intersection of Hřbitovní and 5.
května streets in Drahovice.
Statue of St. John of Nepomuck - with an
angel carrying the Staroboleslav palladium in a medallion.
Statue of
St. John of Nepomuck - on the Osvobození embankment near the Školní
lávky, a cultural monument.
Statue of St. John of Nepomuck - near the
church of St. Mary Magdalene, cultural monument.
Trinity statue – in
the Market Square, a baroque sculpture of the Holy Trinity, with the
Coronation of the Virgin Mary in the middle, is on a pedestal surrounded
by statues of St. Florián, Vojtěch and Augustin, they were created by
Osvald Josef Wenda in 1716 on the order of Countess Vrtbová; on the
plinth are lanterns in the shape of six-pointed stars.
Jewish cemetery
The Central Cemetery is a cultural monument. The
tombs of the Becher and Mattoni families are located on it.
Diana Lookout from 1914
Aberg lookout tower from 1905
Viewpoint
of Charles IV. from 1877
Goethe's Prospect from 1889
Mayer's gloriette, also sometimes called the Jeleni skok lookout, is
a resting place with a gazebo overlooking the city.
The Kamzík
statue, called the Leap of the Deer, was created in 1851 by the sculptor
August Kiss at the request of Baron Lützow, who wanted to ridicule the
rumor about the founding of Karlovy Vary.
Otto's Column on Otto's
Height refers with its name to the first Greek king, who visited Karlovy
Vary a total of five times during the 19th century. The granite column
topped with a sphere and a gilded cross, which is located near the
viewpoint, was erected in 1852 in the presence of King Otto I himself.
In 2008, the column was reconstructed. The lookout offers a view of the
city center.
Grandhotel Pupp – the history of the hotel begins at the beginning of
the 18th century, when Anton Deiml built a lusthaus called the Saxon
Hall at a relatively large distance from the city center (the
construction was financed by the Saxon Elector August II.). A few years
later, the city had the so-called Czech Hall built in the neighborhood.
In the second half of the 18th century, the Český sál was bought by
confectioner Johann Georg Pupp, but only his grandsons managed to unite
the Český and Saxon halls. In the 1890s, it was converted into a hotel
complex under the management of Fellner and Helmer.
Hotel Beseda –
today a residential building with a historical connection to the
beginnings of the Czech community in Karlovy Vary, which founded the
Slovanská beseda association in the second half of the 19th century. As
a continuation of the association, the Beseda house with hotel rooms, a
restaurant and a beer hall was built at the beginning of the 20th
century. After the signing of the Munich Agreement, the activities of
the association were terminated and the hotel was converted into flats
for the Reich Railway. The activity of the association was not resumed.
Hotel Imperial was built in 1912 for a mobile spa clientele. A
127-meter-long cable car from Theater Square leads to the Imperial
Heights hotel.
Hotel Palacký is located on the left bank of the river
Teplá, right in the spa center. It is one of the oldest buildings in the
locality, which was built in the middle of the 18th century.
Grandhotel Ambassador - before the reconstruction the name Národní dům -
Art Nouveau hotel with pseudo-Renaissance and pseudo-Gothic elements, it
was designed by the Viennese studio of architects Fellner and Helmer in
the years 1899-1900, it was built in less than 1901. The construction
was initiated by the Karlovy Vary Rifle Corps, which is why the original
name was Grandhotel The Shooting House, after being renamed Ambassador,
housed the variety show Orfeus and four restaurants. In 1930, the hotel
became the property of the city, and after that it was called the
National House (Volkshaus). In the 1990s, the hotel underwent a
complicated privatization that continued until 2010 with a lawsuit
between the new owners and the city. In the years 2011–2015, an
extensive reconstruction took place. Now it serves its original purposes
again. It includes the restaurant Julius Zeyer, Nároďák, a cafe and a
social hall (originally Orfeus variety show). The frescoes on the
facades depict scenes from the city's military history, executed by
Viennese painters Max Kurzweil and Wilhelm List.
Parkhotel Richmond –
the original mill was first converted into the Schönbrun café at the
beginning of the 19th century, which continued to expand until it became
a hotel at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The building has
undergone several reconstructions since then, the last of which took
place between 1998-2005.
Hotel Atlantic Palace – formerly the
Atlantic Spa House, an Art Nouveau spa building built at the beginning
of the 20th century in the Art Deco style.
Post Office - originally a
post office with a bridging station for postal horse-drawn carriages,
built in 1781 in the Classicist style, then rebuilt in the Empire style
in 1810.
Hotel Thermal with an outdoor pool - the outdoor pool at the Hotel Thermal, built in the rock above the town, is partially filled with Karlovy Vary mineral water. Since 2015, the pool has been closed and since 2019, an extensive renovation is underway. The Thermal Hotel reopened in June 2021 and the pool in August 2021. Completion of the main stage of the renovation is planned for summer 2022.
The city is located near the forested area of the PLA Slavkovský les
and the Hradiště military district with its characteristic flora and
fauna. The Ohře River divides the city into northern and southern parts.
While the northern part belongs to the Podkrušnohorská region from a
geomorphological point of view, the southern part belongs to the
geographic unit Slavkovský les, which is part of the Karlovy Vary
Highlands. The Podkrušnohorská part of the city already has rather basin
features (it is part of the Sokolovská basin) and is therefore not very
fragmented. On the other hand, the southern part located in Slavkovské
les has very steep slopes.
The left tributaries Chodovský potok,
the Rolava river and the Vitický potok flow into the Ohře river in the
city, the right tributaries of the river are the Teplá river and the
Vratský potok. There are two weirs on the Ohři River - the Tuhnický weir
and the Weir at Solivárna.
There are approximately 80 springs of
thermal water in the spa area, which are bounded from the north by the
Sokol Basin and from the south by the peak of Vítkův vrch. The
protection of the natural source of the springs is ensured by a ban on
mining, which was issued as early as 1761 and is the second oldest of
its kind in the world. In the hot springs of Karlovy Vary, the first
species of thermal cyanobacteria Mastigocladus laminosus was described
in the 19th century.
The average temperature in the city reaches
7.3 °C, the hottest month of the year is July, when the average
temperature reaches 16.9 °C. The coldest month is January with an
average temperature of -2.1 °C. The average annual rainfall amounts to
659 mm.
Spa baths;
1 Spa III (lázeňský dům - Lázně III.) . Monumental two
storey building in early historicist style.
2 Imperial Bath (lázeňský
dům Lázně I (Císařské lázně), s omezením: bez budovy přípravny rašeliny,
Kurbad 1) . Two-storey pseudo-Renaissance spa building.
3 Elisabeth
Bath (lázeňský dům Lázně V. se Smetanovými sady, Kurbad 5) . Monumental
complex of spa houses in Smetana Park in the northern part of the
Karlovy Vary spa center.
4 Castle bath. (Zamecké Lazne).
The Karlovy Vary wafers are well known beyond the city and state
borders. These are traditionally baked from two round thin wafer slices
and a filling in the middle. Meanwhile, not only vanilla, nut and
chocolate fillings are made. A long time ago there were bakery shops and
stalls in several places in the village and the delicious smell lured
from afar. Today you can only get warm wafers in T. G. Masaryka, near
the Billa supermarket.
One should not leave Karlsbad without having
tasted an original Karlsbader Becherovka (formerly: Karlsbader
Becher-Bitter). The Becherovka is made from herbs, oils and alcohol, has
been produced in Karlovy Vary according to a secret recipe since 1807
and is considered medicine in the area. The corresponding mixed drink
with Becherovka is the so-called concrete, consisting of Becherovka and
tonic water.
mug place. Phone: +420353599999. The 170-year-old
Becherovka factory has been reconstructed into a place attractive to
tourists. Next to the museum (see above) there is a market square with
small shops, a Jan Becher shop and a café, a restaurant and the Karl IV
brewery. Open: restaurant 11:00 - 00:00, market square 9:00 - 19.00 :00
am. Price: Main courses from 200 CZK.
The Mexican restaurant Pepe Lopez in the center of the old town has an open beer garden for a long time.
upscale
Hôtel Carlsbad Plaza, Mariánskolázeňská 995/23, Karlovy
Vary, 360 01 (Karlovy Vary stop, Lázně I bus line 2 stop Karlovy Vary,
Lázně I or bus line 20 stop). Tel.: +420 353 225 502 (reservation), +420
352 441 111 (reception), fax: +420 352 441 151, e-mail:
reservation@edengroup.cz, reception@carlsbadplaza.cz. The Carlsbad
Plaza, which reopened in December 2005, is the first spa and spa hotel
in the 5-star superior class in Karlsbad. The historical part of the
hotel consists of four interconnected buildings whose historical names
were Rudolfshof, Quirinal, Naples and Moscow. Then, in 1992, they were
joined together, creating the Florencie sanatorium. The hotel is located
in the quiet surroundings of the spa area, near the Lázně I bathing
complex. Here you will find everything you would expect from a luxurious
hotel of international rank, including a swimming pool and conference
facilities. Features: ★★★★★S, WiFi, Bike Rentals, Gym, Sauna, Jacuzzi.
Check in: 14:00 - 21:00. Check-out: until 12:00 p.m. Price: Price range
between 163€ and 1210€. Accepted payment methods: American Express,
Diners Club, Euro/Mastercard, Visa.
Accommodation capacity: 152
guest rooms or suites.
Room facilities: depending on the category.
Facilities: three daytime bars, one night bar and club with live music,
library, boutiques (luxury goods), casino, three dining restaurants
(international and Asian cuisine), children's playroom, an in-house
3000m² spa area with 230 kinds of treatments in the spa and treatment
center with hammam, indoor swimming pool (all year round), solarium.
Private parking is available at the hotel (reservation is not required)
and costs 20€ per day.
Sports activities: billiards, golf course (3km
away), hiking.
Spoken languages: English, Russian and Czech.
«Hôtel Imperial», Libušina 1212/18, Karlovy Vary, 36001. Tel.: +420 353
203 113, +420 353 203 111, e-mail: reservation@spa-hotel-imperial.cz.
Built in the early 1900s, the luxury Hôtel Imperial is a well-known
landmark and one of the most beautiful hotels in Karlovy Vary with a
magnificent view down on Karlovy Vary. Features: ★★★★, Bike Rental, Gym,
Sauna. Check-in: from 2 p.m. Check-out: until 12:00 p.m. Accepted
payment methods: American Express, Diners Club, Euro/Mastercard, JCB,
Visa.
Accommodation capacity: 205 guest rooms, including single
rooms and suites.
Room facilities: depending on the category.
Bathrobes and slippers are included in the price, Internet via LAN is
available in the room/suite and is free of charge.
Facilities: Czech
cuisine is served in the non-smoking restaurant. The Viennese café
offers traditional coffee specialities, cakes and tarts. In the evening
live music and cocktails are offered in the Imperial Club. Internet is
only offered via low-radiation LAN in the rooms, an in-house spa area
with spa and health center (in addition to the usual therapies, carbonic
acid baths and beauty treatments are also offered), fitness room, sauna,
solarium, whirlpool. Services for weddings, seminars and conferences.
Private parking is available at the hotel (reservation is required) and
costs 8€ per day.
Sports activities: 15m swimming pool (all year
round), golf course (3km away), indoor tennis court, hiking.
Spoken
languages: German, English, Russian and Czech.
Grand Hôtel Pupp
(Grandhotel Pupp), Mírové náměstí 2, Karlovy Vary, 360 91 (bus stop
Karlovy Vary, Lázně 1). Tel.: +420 353 109 111 (reception) . Hotel with
a great old name, now mostly in Russian hands. With a large pool area
for spa treatments and everything else you would expect from a hotel of
this class. Features: ★★★★★, WiFi, Bike Rental, Gym, Sauna, 228 Rooms.
Check-in: from 2 p.m. Check-out: until 11:00 a.m. Accepted payment
methods: American Express, Diners Club, Euro/Mastercard, JCB, Maestro,
Visa
Accommodation capacity: 228 guest rooms including single
rooms, suites and apartments.
Room facilities: Breakfast in the room
possible.
Facilities: bar, restaurant (à la carte), restaurant
(buffet), special dietary requirements (on request), catering service,
neo-baroque ballroom for events. Private parking is available at the
hotel (reservation is not required) and costs 20€ per day.
Sports
activities: swimming pool (all year round), golf course (3km away),
hiking.
Spoken languages: German, English (French, Italian), Russian
(Spanish) and Czech.
Tourist Office
1 Informační centrum «Lázeňská», Lázeňská 14,
Karlovy Vary, 360 01. Tel.: +420 355 321 176, +420 773 290 632, fax:
+420 773 290 632, E- E-mail: infocentrum@karlovyvary.cz. Tourist Office
of the City of Karlovy Vary and its Surroundings. Open: Mon-Fri
08:00-18:00, Sat-Sun and public holidays 09:00-17:00.
2 Informační
centrum "TGM" (English: Information Center "TGM"), T.G. Masaryka 883/53,
Karlovy Vary, 360 01 (bus line 2 stop Karlovy Vary, Dolní nádraží).
Tel.: +420 355 321 171, mobile: +420 777 686 972, e-mail:
infocentrum@karlovyvary.cz. Tourist Office of the City of Karlovy Vary
and its Surroundings. Open: Mon-Fri 08:00-18:00, Sat-Sun and public
holidays 09:00-13:00/13:30-17:00.
Traces of settlements from prehistoric times, the later Bronze
Age and from the beginning of Slavic settlement were found. It is
not exactly known when the area around Karlovy Vary was settled.
Since the 10th century at the latest, there has been a Sedlichan
castle in today's district of Sedlec, which has not yet been found.
It was probably on the grounds of Sedlec Castle. Until 1226 it was
the center of a provincia Sedlensis of the Přemyslids. After that,
Elbogen became the center of the Zettlitzer Ländchen.
The
healing effects of the Karlovy Vary thermal springs were probably
already known in the 14th century. There is a legend about the
discovery, according to which a thirsty deer is said to have
uncovered the first warm spring with his hooves. This is
commemorated by the Deer Leap (Jelení skok) above the valley of the
Teplá with the main promenade.
On August 14, 1370 in
Nuremberg, the Czech king and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV granted
the city of Karlovy Vary the same freedoms and rights that the
neighboring city of Elbogen had. The springs were initially used for
baths, and from the 16th century also for drinking cures. In 1522
the first written treatise on the healing power of the springs
appeared.
On May 9, 1582, the city was inundated by a strong
flood and on August 13, 1604 it was almost completely destroyed by
fire. The Thirty Years' War also left its mark. The city recovered
only slowly. In 1707, however, Emperor Joseph I confirmed all the
privileges as a free royal city. The spa business was mainly
promoted in 1711 and 1712 by the visits of the Russian Tsar Peter
the Great. In 1711 the city's first spa was built. In 1759 another
fire destroyed a large part of Karlovy Vary. The use for cures was
then decisively promoted by the doctor David Becher. He had
published a paper on spa treatment in Karlovy Vary and encouraged
the promotion of Karlovy Vary sparkling salt. In 1795 a spa fee was
introduced, with the help of which the town was to be rebuilt.
In 1819 the Karlsbad conference took place in the city, at which
the Austrian chancellor, Prince Metternich, in the Karlsbad
resolutions, stipulated that all states of the German Confederation
be subject to strict press censorship and other measures against the
democratic efforts that had existed since the wars of liberation.
In the middle of the 19th century, bathing experienced a
significant boom. With his publications on the Bohemian spas and the
effects of their medicinal waters, the balneologist and imperial
personal physician Josef von Loeschner helped Karlsbad to flourish
as a world-renowned health resort. The decisive factor was the
connection to the European railway network in 1870. First,
operations were started on the Karlsbad–Eger line, followed shortly
afterwards by the Prague–Karlsbad line.
On November 24, 1890,
the city was again hit by a flood.
In Meyers
Konversationslexikon from 1898 one can read about the cure in
Karlsbad: “One drinks 3-6 cups in the morning and uses both mineral
water and steam baths as well as mud baths, for which the mud is
taken from the Franzensbader Moorlager. The spring products from
Karlovy Vary are also important, namely the sparkling salt, which is
obtained by evaporating the spring […]. […] The annual shipment of
Karlovy Vary mineral water was over 1 million bottles and jugs, of
sparkling salt and sparkling soap over 23,000 kg.” In 1756, 134
families came during the spa season and at the end of the 19th
century there were an average of 26,000 spa guests, and this number
was increasing in 1911 to nearly 71,000.
In 1910 the city had
17,446 inhabitants; 16,791 of them were German and 95 Czech
speakers. The First World War meant a turning point for the spa
business. After the collapse of the dual monarchy at the end of the
war, Czechoslovakia was formed on October 28, 1918 from the
Cisleithanian crown lands of Bohemia, Moravia, Austrian Silesia and
the north of Transleithania (Slovakia, Carpathian Ukraine). In 1919,
the Treaty of Saint-Germain confirmed the affiliation of German
Bohemia with Czechoslovakia.
A demonstration in Karlsbad on
March 4, 1919 for the right to self-determination (the Constituent
National Assembly of German-Austria met for the first time on the
same day) and against belonging to Czechoslovakia ended without
bloodshed. However, six demonstrators were later killed by the army
when another demonstration was broken up.
On October 1, 1938,
Karlsbad was annexed to the Third Reich after the Munich Agreement.
On May 1, 1939, the city was separated from the district of the same
name and from then on formed its own urban district. At the same
time, this was enlarged by the incorporation of the town of Fischern
and the villages of Aich, Drahowitz, Espenthor, Kohlhau, Maierhöfen,
Pirkenhammer and Weheditz. Karlovy Vary became the administrative
center of the Cheb district.
The Second World War brought the
spa business to a standstill. During the war, Karlsbad was a
military hospital and was internationally reported and marked as
such. Despite this, the city was bombed by the USAAF in September
1944 and April 1945. The station, in which two hospital trains, also
marked with the Red Cross, were located at the time of the attack,
was destroyed. Large parts of the city were destroyed, but the spa
district was not affected. Karlovy Vary was taken by the Americans
in May 1945 and handed over to the Red Army on May 11, 1945. Due to
the Potsdam Agreement and the subsequent Beneš decrees, the
German-Bohemian population was expropriated and expelled in 1945.
After the war, there was increased and state-sponsored immigration,
mainly from Central Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia. Repatriates and
members of the Roma ethnic minority also moved to Karlovy Vary.
The incorporations of 1939, like all municipal area changes that
took place during the occupation, were rescinded after the end of
the Second World War. The spa facilities were nationalized in 1946.
In 1949 the municipalities of Karlovy Vary, Rybáře, Bohatice,
Březová, Doubí, Drahovice, Dvory and Olšová Vrata were merged into
the new municipality of Karlovy Vary. Since the end of the communist
regime in 1989, the spa has been geared towards an international
audience again and has received support measures to increase the
number of spa guests.
Karlovy Vary is the seat of the
Karlovarský kraj, until 2002 the city was also the administrative
seat of the Okres Karlovy Vary.
Along with ten other spa
towns in Europe, the Great Spas of Europe, Karlovy Vary was
inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021. The positive
decision on admission was made on July 24, 2021.
The area is rich in natural resources, which is reflected in the local industry, which is focused on its use. These are the already mentioned mineral springs (production of bottled mineral water) or kaolin deposits, which are used for the production of local porcelain.
The local spa industry is based on the use of mineral water with
healing effects, which originates in granite crystals at depths of
around 2,000 meters. The local water has a beneficial effect on the
treatment of liver and intestinal diseases, on the stomach and liver.
Chemically expressed, it is a Na + CaSO4 compound, which springs at a
temperature of 73 °C from 60% in the Spring with a yield of around 2,000
l/m. The mineralogical composition is around 5.9–6.5 g/l with a CO2
content of 0.375–0.750 g/l.
Doctor dr. David Becher (born 1792),
who was mainly responsible for the modernization of Karlovy Vary
balneology. In the 19th century, his work was followed up by dr. Jean de
Carro, Dr. Rudolf Mannl and Dr. Eduard Hlawaczek. There are many spa
houses in the city.
The springs are currently an important source of income for the city,
which is aware of their value and dependence on them, and strives to
protect them. In the past, it has already happened that the springs in
the area "dried up", which was caused by the unsparing mining of brown
coal in the Sokolovská basin, when the underground water collector at
the Marie Majerová mine was breached. Subsequently, the mine was flooded
and the springs in Vary temporarily dried up at the same time. Then it
was necessary to close the mine and concrete the breached area in.
Despite this intervention, however, it was not possible to completely
restore the yield of the springs and the temperature of the Vřídl also
dropped.
The second problem plaguing the city is natural water
erosion, which sinks into the bedrock. There are assumptions that if it
were to break through this not very strong slab, the mineral waters
would leak directly into the river and not through the springs. The city
defends itself against this by having the river bed concreted or by
inserting concrete blocks. Another protective step is the regulation of
construction around springs.
The glass industry in Karlovy Vary is connected with the Moser company, which produces beverage and decorative glass products. The company was named after its founder Ludwig Moser, who in 1857 established an engraving workshop and sales gallery in the city. The company was successful from the beginning (it became, for example, the court supplier of the Emperor Francis Joseph I), and so it was able to open its own glassworks in Dvory at the end of the 19th century. After World War II, the glass factory operated as a national enterprise under the name Karlovarské sklo, the company was transformed into a joint-stock company in 1991. In 2008, a glass museum was opened in the glass factory. Sklárna Moser is also the producer of the Crystal Globe, i.e. the main prize of the International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary.
The Karlovy Vary region and Karlovy Vary are famous for the
production of porcelain. More than 10 porcelain factories operated in
Karlovy Vary and the immediate vicinity, some of which still produce
porcelain today. The beginnings of porcelain production were not easy.
In the times of Austria-Hungary, it was necessary to obtain permission
to manufacture porcelain, which was practically impossible due to the
monarchy's fears of excessive competition from the imperial manufactory
in Vienna.[27] Below are porcelain factories operating in the past and
present within or near the cadastral territory of Karlovy Vary:
Dvory (G. Benedikt), the porcelain factory was founded by the Benedikt
brothers (in German gebrüder Benedikt) in 1882. Today, the porcelain
factory focuses primarily on hotel porcelain, but it was not produced in
the porcelain factory until 1958. In 1992, the porcelain factory was
privatized as Hotel porcelain Karlovy Vary, which was bought by the
Keramik Holding AG Laufen concern. In Dvory, porcelain of world brands
Langenthal and Lilien began to be produced. In 2002, the company was
bought by the Czech company Polyflex, which continued the history under
the name G. Benedikt.
Stará Role (Moritz Zdekauer 1810), the
porcelain factory got its name from one of its owners in the 19th
century (not the founder). The number 1810 refers to the year of
establishment. Porcelánka produced utilitarian porcelain for households
and hotels, partly also decorative porcelain. During the economic
crisis, the porcelain factory had to cease operations in 2013, but its
activities were immediately followed by the company Bohemia porcelain
Moritz Zdekauer 1810. This company ended up in insolvency at the end of
2018 due to, among other things, an excessive focus on the Russian
market.
Doubí, a now defunct porcelain factory that was founded in
1849, became part of the EPIAG concern in 1922.
Karel Knoll's
porcelain factory in Rybářy, a now defunct porcelain factory, ceased
operations in the 1950s. Today, several smaller companies are located in
the building of the porcelain factory. The porcelain factory also
includes a sample room that has survived to this day.
Schwalb
Brothers Porcelain, originally founded as Heckmann & Co. in 1878 also in
Rybáry. In 1882, it changed its name to the new owners, the Schwalb
brothers, but it burned down already in 1883, after which the company
moved to Merklín.
Thun porcelain. This oldest and largest Czech
porcelain manufacturer produces in the Karlovy Vary district.
Rudolf
Kämpf Loučky porcelain since 1907. Rudolf Kämpf is the only factory in
the Czech Republic where porcelain is still made by hand. Products from
the Rudolf Kämpf workshop were also dedicated to important people such
as presidents, kings or the pope.
An important prerequisite for the
success of the porcelain factories in Karlovy Vary was the nearby kaolin
deposits. At the end of the 19th century, the company Zettlitzer
Kaolinwerke was founded, which still operates in the region under the
name Sedlecký kaolin. Kaolin from Sedlec (a local part of Karlovy Vary)
was declared the international standard for kaolin in 1924.
Jan Becher – Karlovy Vary Becherovka is a company producing herbal
liqueur Becherovka, whose roots go back to 1794, when the spice merchant
Josef Vitus Becher rented a winery in Karlovy Vary to experiment with
the production of liqueurs. Josef Becher discussed his intentions with
the English doctor Christian Frobrig, who at the end of his visit to
Karlovy Vary gave him a recipe for a new liqueur. In 1807, Josef Becher
started selling a liqueur called English Bitter, used to treat the
stomach. However, the real founder of the company is considered to be
Josef Becher's son - Jan Becher, who had a factory built for the
production of Becherovka. The company was separated from the Becher
family only after the Second World War during the nationalization
process. After 1989, the company was privatized and the French concern
Pernod Ricard became its owner.
Karlovy Vary mineral waters are the
largest producer of mineral and spring waters in Central Europe, mainly
producing mineral waters Mattoni, Magnesia, Poděbradka, Dobrá voda,
Hanácká kyselka and Aquila spring water. The history of the company
dates back to the second half of the 19th century, when it was founded
by Heinrich Mattoni. Today's form of the company is shaped by the
Italian owners who acquired the company during privatization in the
1990s. In 2018, the acquisition of PepsiCo companies in the Czech
Republic, Slovakia and Hungary was announced. The acquisition is
expected to increase the company's turnover by 50%.
Karlovy Vary
wafers are one of the typical specialties of Karlovy Vary. The first
mention of wafers dates from 1788. The original wafers were smaller and
characterized by homemade production. The Karl Bayer company for the
production of spa wafers was founded in Karlovy Vary only in 1867. The
Bayer family was associated with the wafer factory until World War II,
when its owner, Herbert Bayer, was forced to enlist. The bakery was also
damaged by an air raid in 1945. With the nationalization of the bakery,
the Karlovarské oplatkárny company was established in 1949, later the
wafer shop became part of the Kolonáda company. After 1989, the
Karlovarské oplatky company had to fight for the existence of the name
Original Karlovarské oplatky at the European Court in Strasbourg. Among
other things, the argument that Karlovy Vary wafers differ from others
in the content of spring water contributed to the successful defense of
the protected geographical indication.
Karlovy Vary is an important venue for cultural activities. The most famous and most important cultural event of the city is the International Film Festival, which is visited every year by important film personalities from all over the world and during which the best film is awarded the Crystal Globe. In Karlovy Vary, a number of other festivals focus not only on film, but also on music or folklore, for example. The city is also home to the oldest symphony orchestra in Bohemia, which is also one of the oldest symphony orchestras in the world. It is home to the Municipal Theater and a number of cinema halls used during the International Film Festival.
A number of regular musical and cultural events take place in Karlovy Vary. On July 20, 1894, Dvořák's "Symphony from the New World" was performed for the first time on the European continent in Karlovy Vary at Poštovní dvor. The city dedicates several cultural events to this important music composer. One of the most important events is Dvořák's Karlovy Vary Autumn. The event takes place during the month of September, when a symphonic concert is performed by the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra every weekend in honor of Antonín Dvořák. The festival has been held since 1959 and concerts take place in the Lázní III concert hall and the Municipal Theatre. Dvořák's name is also borne by the Antonín Dvořák International Singing Competition, which also takes place during the month of September. The competition was originally intended for art school students and over time has developed into an international competition, with 80-110 singers from all over the world taking part every year.
The history of the theater in Karlovy Vary dates back to the
beginning of the 18th century. It was at this time that street
performances first began, and in 1717 the city acquired its first
facilities for theatrical performances in the so-called Comoedi Haus,
which was located in the premises of today's Grandhotel Pupp. However,
this building collapsed in 1787 during a performance. In the same year,
the foundation stone of the brick Becher Theater was laid, which was
completed the following year and inaugurated with Mozart's opera The
Marriage of Figaro. But over time, the theater ceased to fulfill its
purpose. A new, contemporary theater was therefore built on the site of
the original theater between 1884 and 1886. The building was designed by
the Viennese studio of Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer.
In
addition to the Municipal Theater, there are also Husovka Theaters in
Karlovy Vary, which mainly focus on non-commercial productions, and the
Karlovy Vary Musical Theater – Children's Theatre.
Kino Čas is a cinema owned by the city of Karlovy Vary, located on T.
G. Masaryk Avenue. It is the main cinema of the International Film
Festival.
Cinema Drahomíra (Panasonic) is located in the Drahovice
district. In addition to the cinema and cafe, there is also a gallery on
the premises (website Archived 1/31/2016 at the Wayback Machine.).
The summer cinema is mainly used during the International Film Festival.
The cinema is no longer used for non-festival screenings due to low
attendance. Nevertheless, the summer cinema is a frequent venue for
concerts.
Film
Karlovy Vary is not only a film city during the
International Film Festival. So far, over 120 films of various genres
have been shot in the city. Some of them are listed below:
Three Eggs
in a Glass (1937)
30 Cases of Major Zeman (Vol. 12 "Pliers" and Vol.
19 "Third Violin"; 1974)
Tomorrow I'll Get Up and Burn My Tea (1977)
Chief, flee! (1980)
Bulldogs and Cherries (1981)
Ants carry death
(1985, director: Zbyněk Brynych)
Death of a Beautiful Fawn (1986)
Hoof Here Hoof There (1988)
Humberto's Circus (1988)
Knights of
Shanghai (2003)
Last Holiday (2006)
Casino Royale (James Bond)
(2006)
Edith Piaf (2007)
Veni, vidi, vici (2009)
Wish to Have
(2017)
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
International film
festival of tourist films Tourfilm
Karlovy Vary art glass festival -
Glassfest
Karlovy Vary Jazzfest
Karlovy Vary folklore festival
Karlovy Vary Food Festival
Karlovy Vary Dumpling Fest
VARY
SEPTEMBER: Festival of Light
Karlovy Vary Museum - barrier-free city museum with the most
important historical and artistic monuments of the region; permanent
exhibition opened in 2017, awarded as the best of the year (Gloria
musealis), some exhibitions have interactive parts suitable for children
of different ages or descriptions in Braille.
Karlovy Vary Art
Gallery
Interactive gallery Becher's Villa Karlovy Vary
Jan Becher
Museum
Moser Museum of Glass (website Archived 2/11/2017 at the
Wayback Machine.)
Wax Museum (website Archived 2017-01-31 at the
Wayback Machine.)
The city is home to a large number of schools of regional
significance. All levels of education can be found here – kindergarten,
primary, secondary, higher secondary and university. Vocational
secondary schools and vocational secondary schools are of greatest
importance to the city. Unlike other regional towns in the Czech
Republic, there is no public university in Karlovy Vary. The city has
been striving for at least the establishment of its branch for a long
time. In the academic year 2019/2020, full-time study of the bachelor's
study field of physiotherapy of the branch of the 3rd Faculty of
Medicine of Charles University was to be opened. Although there was a
sufficient number of potential students, only two applicants passed the
entrance exams. The faculty stated after the admissions procedure that
they no longer plan to start classes in the following year.
The
University of Finance and Administration operates in the city, which has
had a study center here since 2016. It thus replaced the private
University of Karlovy Vary, which did not have enough funds to invest in
the modernization of the school building. With the entry of the
University of Finance and Administration to the city, students have the
opportunity to study subsequent master's study fields. The Faculty of
the Environment of the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague also
has a remote center in the city, which is opening a bachelor's degree
program in Territorial Technical and Administrative Services.
There are also 7 kindergartens, 15 primary schools (including one
special), 11 secondary schools (including 2 grammar schools) and 3
higher vocational schools operating in the city. There are also 2
elementary art schools and a children's and youth center in the city.
Originally 17 public kindergartens were administratively merged into two
contribution organizations in 2005. The real number of kindergartens is
therefore 19 (including the forest nursery Duběnka, founded in 2018).
Since 2014, the international boarding school Carlsbad International
School has also been operating in Karlovy Vary, which is the first
school of its kind east of Switzerland. The school prepares students
from all over the world aged 13 to 18 to study at the world's
prestigious universities. The school is located in the Toscana building,
which was originally used for dance entertainment.
The most successful sports club in the city is the volleyball club VK
ČEZ Karlovarsko. The men's team made its way to the highest Czech
volleyball competition in 2014 and won its first championship title in
four years. He managed to repeat this in the 2020-21 and 2021-22
seasons. He also won the Czech Cup twice (2018, 2021). He plays his home
matches in the Ball Sports Hall (West 1821). It can accommodate 800
spectators. For some Champions League matches, the team moves to the
neighboring KV Arena, which otherwise serves mainly as a winter stadium.
Over 3,000 spectators came here to support the team in 2019, confirming
that Karlovy Vary has become the city of volleyball. The ball sports
hall and the KV Arena are part of a large sports complex in the Tuhnice
district of Karlovy Vary, where there is also a training hall, a
swimming pool center, the Peace Race stadium, tennis courts and a number
of other sports venues.
KV Arena, which was built in 2009,
belongs to the most modern sports stands in the Czech Republic. It can
hold 5874 spectators. It hosted the 2010 Women's Basketball World Cup
and the 2011 European Men's Volleyball Championship. It is owned by the
city and its construction was the largest investment in the city's
history. Construction costs amounted to 1.2 billion crowns. It is the
pride of the city and at the same time it is associated with shame,
which has become popularly known as the "Karlová Lottery". It is
primarily the home stand of the hockey club HC Energie Karlovy Vary. It
was founded in 1932 and already played in the Czechoslovak top
competition in 1951-1956. The gradual decline of the club then
culminated in 1985 with relegation to the regional championship. In
1995, however, the club won the second highest competition and in just
two years (in the 1997/98 season) returned to the top competition after
more than forty years. He has since left her for a single season. In his
star moment, he even managed to win it, in the memorable year 2008/09.
The year before, he only fell in the final and won the league silver.
The mainstays of this team were goalkeeper Lukáš Mensator, Petr Kumstát,
Marek Melenovský and captain Václav Skuhravý. Other well-known players
also wore the Karlovy Vary jersey, including Nagano gold holders Roman
Čechmánek and Libor Procházka. The military club Dům armády Karlovy Vary
also operated briefly in Vary. Played in the second league, disappeared
in 1956.
From the 2022/23 season, the highest competition, the
Superliga, was also brought to the city by the FB Hurrican Karlovy Vary
floorball players. They, too, start their home games in the Hall of Ball
Sports.
Women's basketball club BK Lokomotiva Karlovy Vary first
peeked into the top competition in the 1970s (1972/73, 1974/75). He
returned to it for two seasons in the 1990s, to then work continuously
in it from 2003–2019. But then a series of unfortunate events occurred.
First, Lokomotiva merged with the DSK Basketball Nymburk club, with the
idea that a new BS DSK Basketball Nymburk KV club would be created,
which would play half in Vary and half in Nymburk. But the enthusiasm of
the authors of this project did not last long and they sold the league
license to Chomutov. Thus, Lokomotiv works in lower competitions and
concentrates on youth basketball.
The football club FC Slavia
Karlovy Vary is a participant in the third highest competition. His
historical maximum was playing in the second highest Czechoslovak
competition in the years 1953-1961, 1962-1964 and in the 1967/68 season.
It achieved its best position in the 1959/60 season, when it finished
second (which, however, did not mean promotion, as only one club
advanced from the Czech group). Slavia plays at Stadion Drahovice. An
interesting fact is that it traditionally uses the same jerseys as
Prague's Slavia. It is a historical curiosity that its striker Jiří
Feureisl not only represented Czechoslovakia as a player of the then
second division team, but even participated in the 1958 World Cup in
Sweden, where he also scored a goal. At the same time, he also played
hockey for Karlovy Vary for twenty seasons. The Karlovy Vary football
jersey was also worn by other representatives who, however, no longer
represented Karlovy Vary during their involvement: Horst Siegl, Martin
Frýdek or Ivo Ulich.
In the local part of Dvory there is a
racetrack built in 1899 with famous art nouveau grandstands. Today it is
called Hipodrom Holoubek. For example, the Race Day of the European
Nobility or the Karlovy Vary City Prize Memorial of Josef Dolejší are
regularly held here. A golf course was also built near the racetrack. It
has nine fairways with eighteen greens. However, there are three golf
courses in Vary (the most famous is the Olšová Vrata course). It is no
coincidence that the history of Czech golf began to be written in this
city, when the first golf course in the Czech Republic was built here in
1904.
The AC Start Karlovy Vary athletics club operates at the
Závod Míru Stadium. In the 1960s, the stadium was famous for hosting the
Peace Cycle Race.
The city has a high-quality connection to the main routes of the
Karlovy Vary Region, which include the D6 highway (on the route Cheb –
Sokolov – Karlovy Vary). Karlovy Vary, on the other hand, lacks
sufficient connections with Prague and significant agglomerations of the
surrounding regions (mainly connections to Pilsen and Chomutov). The
connection with the surrounding regions is insufficient in capacity
(absence of bypasses, insufficient road width and confusing turns).
Important roads pass through the city:
D6 (I/6) – route Cheb –
Karlovy Vary – Prague: Currently, the highway from the direction of Cheb
ends before the entrance to Karlovy Vary and continues through the city
as a first-class road I/6. In the future, it is planned to run the
highway through the northern bypass of the city.
I/13 – route Karlovy
Vary – Ostrov – Chomutov: The route leads from Karlovy Vary on a
four-lane road, which is converted into a two-lane road behind the
bypass of the town of Ostrov, which was built in 2002-2005. Currently,
the issue of increasing the speed limit on the section from Karlovy Vary
to Ostrov is being discussed. For the introduction, however, it would be
necessary, among other things, to build longer connecting and branching
lanes.
I/20 – route Karlovy Vary – České Budějovice
The town is located on the electrified railway line of the 1st
category leading from Cheb to Ústí nad Labem (via Chomutov – track 140).
From the city of Karlovy Vary, non-electrified regional lines of the 3rd
category also lead to Potůčki (and further to Germany), Merklín and
Mariánské Lázně. Karlovy Vary does not have a competitive rail
connection with Prague. Roads to Prague are clearly dominated by car and
bus transport.
Important railway stations
Karlovy Vary
(crossed by the Cheb – Chomutov line)
Karlovy Vary lower station
(regional lines to Mariánské Lázně)
Railway stops
Karlovy
Vary-Arena
Karlovy Vary-Březová
Karlovy Vary-Dvory
Brickworks
Doubí near Karlovy Vary
Old Role
Karlovy Vary Airport is an international public civil airport, located 4.5 km southeast of the city center in the local part of Olšová Vrata. In 2013, it handled 104,000 passengers, in 2016 it was 25,235. A regular Czech Airlines flight to Moscow–Sheremetyevo Airport has been operating here for a long time, and various summer charters and other business jets and general aviation planes also fly here.
Public transport in Karlovy Vary is provided exclusively by buses. A
special feature here are the two cable cars (Diana cable car and
Imperial cable car), the second of which has regular public transport
tickets. The Imperial cable car is the oldest in Europe and the Diana
cable car was the longest in Austria-Hungary during the reign of Franz
Joseph I.
In the past, the introduction of trolleybus transport
in Karlovy Vary was also considered several times.
In 1914, the
Austrian government issued a concession for the construction and
operation of three narrow-gauge tram lines; however, as a result of the
First World War, these plans were not realized.
The Karlovy Vary
transport company operates a scenic tourist road train line around the
city on line A. The interval is around 2 hours, from May to September
the line runs daily, in April and October only on weekends, including
Fridays. Passengers with public transport subscriptions have a half
discount.
There is a tourist carriage service in the city.
However, the city is having problems delineating a sufficient number of
suitable sites where horses and carriages wait for customers. In 2013,
the city decided not to limit the number of carriages on the streets,
but approved the regulation of the conditions for the operation of this
service. He wants to conclude a so-called "Contract on the use of
carriage transport" with individual operators. According to the terms of
the contract, the horses can only work for 6 hours plus a total of 2
hours to go from the stables to the city and back. The city also
introduced a fee of 20,000 CZK (per year?) for a team. A hydrant was set
up on Theater Square for the needs of watering horses and cleaning. In
the summer of 2013, according to the Karlovy Vary newspaper,
approximately 18 carriages ran.
The European cycle route Eurovelo 4 (EV4), the backbone of the Ohře cycle path, passes through Karlovy Vary, cycle path number 39 connecting the Ohře cycle path with the Berounka valley also begins here. Local cycle routes of the Karlovy Vary region 2009 leading to Potůčk, route 2017 leading through Horní Slavkov to Sokolov, 2026 to Chodov u Bečov and 2227 to Chodov also start in the city. The city of Karlovy Vary is considering introducing a bike sharing system. The pilot project should start in the spring of 2020.
According to the European Environment Agency, Karlovy Vary is the
greenest city in the Czech Republic. Some protected areas extend into
the city, the most important of which is the PLA Slavkovský les. On the
territory of the city or in its vicinity, we can also find Natura 2000
protected areas, specifically the Doupovská hory bird area, the
European-important site Olšová Vrata and the European-important site
Ohře Canyon.
In the center of the spa forests, the Karlův hvozd
nature reserve was declared in 2022. The reservation, with an area of
126.7 hectares, lies almost entirely on forest land. It got its name in
honor of Charles IV, the founder of Karlovy Vary.
Air quality in
the city has significantly improved since the 1990s following the
desulfurization of large polluters located in the Sokolov and Chomutov
districts. The gasification of small sources of pollution in the
peripheral parts of the city also contributed to the improvement of the
environment. On the other hand, the increase in traffic in the city
center and its surroundings has a negative effect on the air. In this
regard, a healthier environment could benefit from the bypass of Karlovy
Vary, additional planting of greenery or additional anti-noise walls.
The pollution of the individual streams of the rivers flowing through
Karlovy Vary varies. The cleanest stream is the river Teplá, showing the
degree of pollution from "slightly polluted" to "not polluted". During
measurements in Karlovy Vary, the Ohře River shows the degree of
"polluted water" in some respects, "mildly polluted" to "unpolluted" in
others. The same is the case with the Rolava River. The quality of the
worst flow is Chodovský potok with the degree of pollution "very heavily
polluted water". Wastewater treatment for the city is provided by the
Drahovice WWTP (built in 1967 and subsequent modernization), which,
together with peripheral parts of the city not connected to the sewer
network, is the largest polluter of surface water.
In the case of
underground water, the content of mineral springs is monitored. For
greater protection of the springs, the city has established a protection
zone.
Karlovy Vary is a regional town and also a municipality with extended
powers and an authorized municipal office. The district of Karlovy Vary
consists of 56 municipalities, the administrative district of the
municipality with extended jurisdiction consists of 41 municipalities.
The following institutions of regional importance are located in the
city:
Agency for Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Customs office
Czech Radio Karlovy Vary
Czech telecommunication office
Executor
office
Financial Office for the Karlovy Vary Region
Karlovy Vary
Art Gallery
Cadastral Office for the Karlovy Vary Region
Regional
hygiene station
Regional Library of the Karlovy Vary Region
Regional branch of the Labor Office
Regional center of the Nature and
Landscape Protection Agency of the Czech Republic
Regional Land
Office
Regional administration of the Czech Statistical Office
Regional Veterinary Administration
Karlovy Vary Regional Military
Command
Regional Office of the Karlovy Vary Region
Spa forests of
Karlovy Vary
Registry Office
Municipal trade office
District
Court
District Prosecutor's Office
District Social Security
Administration
Ohře Basin – Karlovy Vary Plant
Administration of
PLA Slavkovský les
Administration of spa parks
State District
Archives
Building Authority
Health Institute
Fabian Sommer (1533-1571), physician
David Becher (1725-1792),
physician and balneologist
Josef Wunderlich (1728-1795), townsman,
gunsmith and needlemaker
Jan Václav Peter (1745-1829), painter of
animals
August Leopold Stöhr (1764-1831), German writing priest and
historian
Franz H. Franieck (1800-1859), book printer and publisher,
also a skilled businessman and organizer
August Pfizmaier
(1808-1887), Orientalist (mainly Sinologist and Japanologist), linguist,
university teacher, translator and originally a doctor (balneologist)
Eduard Hlawaczek (1808-1879), former spa doctor
Rudolf Mannl
(1812-1863), spa doctor and Karlovy Vary councilman
Johann Josef
Loschmidt (1821–1895), Austrian physicist and chemist
Heinrich
Mattoni (1830–1910), entrepreneur, founder of the Mattoni company
Ludwig Moser (1833–1916), engraver, founder of the Moser glassworks
Alfred Knoll (1834-1893), politician
Eduard Knoll (1839-1890), lawyer
and politician
Julius Hofmann (1840-1913), doctor, art collector and
politician of German nationality
Anton Schneider (1841–1900),
politician
Rudolf Knoll (1844-1914), lawyer and politician
Ludwig
Schäffler (1848-1915), Austrian politician
Josef Hofmann (1858-1943),
pedagogue, ethnographer and politician
Alfred Bayer (1859-1916),
architect and builder
Rudolf Lössl (1872-1915), educator and
politician of German nationality
Oscar Adler (1879-1936), internist
and university professor
Hugo Uher (1882-1945), German sculptor
Eugen de Witte (1882-1952), politician
Bruno Pfützner (1883-1961),
football referee of German nationality
Bruno Adler (1888-1968),
German writer and art historian
Walter Serner (1889-1942), German
writer, critic, organizer and adventurer
Wilhelm Srb-Schlossbauer
(1890–1972), German sculptor and pedagogue active in Karlovy Vary,
Sokolovsk and later also in Prague, after 1945 in Bavaria
Franz
Planer (1894–1963), American cinematographer
Karl Hermann Frank
(1898–1946), former bookseller, First Republic politician, member of the
SdP (Sudeton German Party) and active Nazi, state secretary of the
office of the Reich Protector, executed after the war
Václav Vích
(1898-1966), cameraman
Fritz Köllner (1904-1986), politician
Walter Kaufmann (1907–1984), musicologist, composer, pedagogue and
conductor
Josef Klíma (1911-2007), basketball player
Olga Sipplová
(* 1920), German politician
Jan Kalous (1922-2002), footballer
Zbyněk Brynych (1925-1995), director and screenwriter
Jiří Horčička
(1927-2007), director of Czech Radio
Jan Pohan (1930–2015), voice
actor and actor
Jaroslav Michel (1932-2017), ice hockey player and
coach
Georg Riedel (* 1934), Swedish composer and jazz musician
Horst Rudolf Übelacker (* 1936), politician and publicist
Rudolf
Tomášek (* 1937), athlete who specialized in pole vaulting
Lukáš Jůza
(* 1941), actor, writer, screenwriter and theater director
Princess
Marie Kristina of Kent (* 1945), noblewoman, member of the British royal
family, wife of Michael of Kent
Ladislav Gerendáš (* 1946), actor and
trumpeter
Radka Fidlerová (* 1946), theater and film actress
Jaroslav Fikar (* 1946), writer
Petr Brodský (* 1947), clergyman of
the Evangelical Church of the Czech Brethren, dissident and politician
Jan Baxant (* 1948), Catholic priest and bishop of Litoměřice
Karel
Třešňák (* 1949), water slalom skier, downhill skier and canoeist
Stanislav Burachovič (* 1950), historian and columnist
Jan Hloušek
(1950-2014), geologist, mineralogist and historian
Josef Klíma (*
1950), basketball player
Miroslava Skleničková (* 1951), sports
gymnast
Karel Nešpor (* 1952), psychiatrist
Jakub Polák
(1952-2012), anarchist and anti-racist activist
Šimon Brejcha (*
1953), artist
Jiří Dědeček (* 1953), singer-songwriter, poet,
lyricist, translator and writer
Jan Látka (* 1954), politician
Jiří Oberfalzer (* 1954), politician
Pavel Opočenský (* 1954),
sculptor and jeweller
Vašo Patejdl (* 1954), Slovak singer, musician
and lyricist
Věra Procházková (* 1954), politician and doctor
Vladimír Sládeček (* 1954), lawyer
Jan Samec (* 1955), artist
Stanislav Birner (* 1956), tennis player
Jan Kotek (* 1956), academic
sculptor
Marie Nedvědová (* 1956), politician and lawyer
Jiří
Brdlík (* 1957), politician and doctor
Vladimíra Dvořáková (* 1957),
political scientist
MC Špina (* 1957), singer
Bartolomej Štěrba (*
1957), sculptor, restorer and plasterer
Jindřich Vondra (* 1957),
athlete
Jiří Douba (* 1958), sports fencer
Martin Havelka
(1958–2020), actor
Petr Pyšek (* 1958), botanist and ecologist
Eva
Salzmannová (* 1958), actress and theater teacher
Václav Srb (*
1958), politician
Erich Kříž (born 1959), politician of German
nationality
Jiří Orlíček (* 1959), footballer
Josef Řihák (*
1959), politician and veterinarian
Hana Brůhová (* 1960), basketball
player
Rostislav Stach (* 1960), photographer
Vladimír Brych
(1961–2021), archaeologist
Rick Lanz (* 1961), hockey player
Jaroslav Klát (* 1962), academic painter, artist and teacher
Miloš
Patera (* 1962), politician
Zdeněk Konopásek (* 1963), sociologist
and musician
Jiří Schneider (* 1963), Czech diplomat and politician
Petr Zahradníček (* 1964), politician, musician and journalist
Martin
Havel (* 1966), politician, lawyer and manager
Jiří Neumann (* 1966),
politician and high school principal
Jan Kubata (* 1967), politician
Iveta Roubíčková (* 1967), former Czech biathlete
Karel Dobrý (*
1969), actor
Václava Molcarová (* 1969), veterinarian and writer
Zdeněk Bergman (* 1970), entrepreneur and director of the Charles Bridge
Museum
Dan Bárta (* 1969), singer, lyricist and photographer
Eva
Háková (* 1969), biathlete
Petr Hájek (* 1970), architect
Milan
Kovanda (* 1970), soldier and reporter
Jaroslava Pokorná Jermanová (*
1970), politician
Petr Kulhánek (* 1971), politician
Karel Rada (*
1971), footballer
Jan Fingerland (* 1972), columnist, journalist,
radio commentator and writer
Jiří Dostál (1973–1999), science fiction
writer
Aleš Háma (* 1973), actor, guitarist, singer and presenter
Jana Mračková Vildumetzová (* 1973), politician and teacher
Lenka
Dusilová (* 1975), singer
Jana Suchá (* 1975), lawyer and politician
Milan Sulej (* 1975), opera singer, tenor
Tomáš Lebeda (* 1976),
political scientist
Tomáš Vokoun (* 1976), hockey player
Martin
Uhlíř (* 1976), politician
Andrea Černá (* 1977), actress
Jindřich
Forejt (* 1977), official
Simona Kijonková (* 1977), entrepreneur
Kateřina Radostová (* 1977), lawyer and politician
Karla Šlechtová (*
1977), economist, politician and civil servant
Jan Trachta (* 1977),
doctor
Lukáš Došek (* 1978), footballer
Tomáš Došek (* 1978),
soccer player
Jan Košťál (* 1980), hockey player
Milan Šperl (*
1980), cross-country skier
Ronald Němec (* 1981), lawyer
Petr
Novák (* 1982), cross-country skier
Tomáš Savka (* 1983), singer
Markéta Wernerová (* 1983), politician
Hana Soukupová (* 1985), model
Michal Balcar (* 1986), actor and voice actor
Tomáš Borek (* 1986),
soccer player
Marek Pavelec (* 1989), solo violinist
Petr Prindiš
(* 1989), hockey player
Jakub Vlček (* 1991), rapper
Jaromír
Kverka (* 1992), hockey player
Michal Vachovec (* 1992), hockey
player
Petra Nováková (* 1993), cross-country skier
Štěpán
Csamangó (* 1994), hockey player
Miloš Kratochvíl (* 1996), soccer
player
Michal Novák (* 1996), cross-country skier
Martin Graiciar
(* 1999), footballer
Pavel Šulc (* 2000), footballer