ABOUT KARLOVY VARY
Based on the story, Karlovy Vary was established by the Czech King Charles the Fourth and the written history of the town originates on August 14, 1370 when the Cesar and King Charles the Fourth honored the settlement spot with freedoms and the right of a royal town. A number of years of booming and fame then followed in the 18th and 19th centuries. This happened not only due to an effective and proven spa treatment or the recognition of Karlovy Vary as a picturesque and romantic town in a valley of Teplá River. The global fame was reached by Karlovy Vary also as a result of the intensive and clever construction of new residential houses, hotels, spas, etc. The prestige and special position was gained by this spa town also because of its famous visitors from amongst politicians, scientists or artists. One of them was also the Russia Car Peter the Great who visited Karlovy Vary in 1711 and 1712. The period around the year 1900 then was a time of building new transport routes, generous and almost pompous construction development, luxury, welcoming attitude and hospitality. At the turn of the 19th century Karlovy Vary became not only fashionable spa but also the cultural and social center of the Central Europe. The visit to the famous spa was literary a prestigious event for well-off people and aristocracy in power. Under the strong influence of Vienna, also the metropolitan spirit comes to Karlovy Vary. The structures in sizes unheard of in the spa town then are were built there with more perfect fit-outs. The very first extensive construction in 1855 was Vojenský lázeňský ústav (Military Spa Institute) followed by buildings of Lázně III (Spa III) and Lázně IV (Spa IV) between 1878 and 1880, and the pompous colonnade was completed under the supervision of Architect Josef Zítek. The Vienna architects H. Helmer and F. Fellner are the originators of the most specific contours of the picturesque face of the hot-spring town from 1879 through 1914. New Town Theater is grand-opened in 1886, built according to the project of Helmer and Fellner, the existing hotel site Pupp is begun rebuilt and completed. This boom in construction development is interrupted in 1890 by the tragic natural disaster; following a long period of heavy rains in the whole area of West Bohemia, especially in the area of Teplá Rriver, the catastrophic scenario took place on November 23 and 24. The flood wave reached the town to an extent unheard of. Water running through streets reached almost 5 meters in height and destroyed everything on its way. After such fall rains a cruel winter season took over. At a place of the old brewery a stately building of Císařské lázně (Cesar Spa) was built between 1893 and 1895. Gradually other buildings were constructed there, the Anglican Church, Jewish Synagogue, Orthodox Cathedral. The spa care was concentrated in five big spas. The social life took place mainly around Poštovní dvůr (Postal Court), at terraces of Hotel Richmond, in a garden restaurant of Švýcarský dvůr (Swiss Court), old Sanssouci, at Grand Hotel Pupp, in the theater, music pavilion at Městské sady (Town Orchards) and in a spacey vaudeville Orfeum offering a revue program. The west villa district, the so-called Karlovy Vary “Westend” was built among the Anglican Church, Orthodox Cathedral and Jewish Synagogue. The architecture of this district is typical by its originality and world repute. Among tens of unique villas objects of the present site of Savoy Westend Hotel – Kleopatra and Carlton villas – stand out built between 1895 and 1897. AT the other end of the spa, a rebuilt hotel Richmond is situated equipped with terraces and a spacey garden. The peak of the booming construction activity of that time was a dominating structure of the “modern castle” overlooking the town Hotel Imperial. Hotel Imperial was connected to the spa area by a tunnel and ground cableway. The great period of a truly “gold age” of Karlovy Vary was ended by shooting in Sarajevo. The sad period comes thereafter, the two world wars and a period of “normalization” which caused a lot of harm to the town and deprived it of its former glitter and fame.
Over the last two tens of years a significant rejuvenation of the spa life occurred. Thanks to a financial capital from local and foreign investors, sensitive renovation of the historic objects, extension of accommodating capacity and a broad range of traditional and modern spa programs, Karovy Vary returned to its prime among the globally recognized spa destinations.
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