A BRIEF HISTORY OF SPA TREATMENTS IN KARLOVY VARY

PhDr. Stanislav Burachovič

CONTENT:

First Period

The Painful Soaks

Second Period  

The pyramid treatment
The Thirty Year's War
The growth at the end of the 17th century
Medical treatises

 

Third Period 

Comprehensive spa treatment
The boom of the spa of Karlovy Vary in the 18th century
Further development of dr. Becher's therapies
The change of the spa life-style at the end of the 19th century
The modernisation of the second half of the 19th century
The influences of Prague and Viennese balneological schools
Pre-war rise and post-war stagnation
The nationalisation of the spa industry
The splendour re-gained
A coveted spa resort again

Karlovy Vary's Famous Visitors
The Pupp Dynasty
The Beginnings of Motoring in Karlovy Vary
Russian Tsar Peter the Great in Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary - the Most Famous Czech Spa
Doctor Jean de Carro
Goethe and Karlovy Vary
The History of the Castle Spring (Zámecký pramen)

 

First Period

The painful soaks

The oldest phase of spa treatment in Karlovy Vary dates back to 1350 - 1522. The widespread reputation of the hot springs of Karlovy Vary was reflected already at the end of the 15th century in the Ode to the Vřídlo geyser by Bohuslav Hasištejnský of Lobkovice (about 1500).
The treatment in Karlovy Vary before mid-16th century had consisted basically of one cure - excessive soaks, later called „Hautfresser" („skin eater"). Patients spent in some cases over 10 hours a day in the water, which led to painful cracks in their skin. This was the goal of the then popular "humoral therapy", which was based on the idea that the water would wash out the ailment through the opened skin.


Second Period

The pyramid treatment

Spring water drinking started to gain ground in Karlovy Vary only slowly and hesitantly, despite the support by doctor Václav Payer, who published the first scientific work on Karlovy Vary cures in 1522. In his book he recommended drinking the spring water in addition to taking the baths. After 1600, the drinking cure found another enthusiastic supporter in Johann Stephan Strobelberger.
Despite Payer's pioneering recommendation of the mineral water drinking cure, the soaks maintained their leading position in Karlovy Vary till the end of 16th century. In those days, people came to the spa for about four to five weeks. After 1620, numerous papers by dr. J. S. Strobelberger started to gradually shift the preference towards the drinking cure. The growing popularity of water drinking even brought such health threatening extremes as cures consisting of 50 to 70 cups of water a day around 1750. However, these volumes were only drunk for a few days in the middle of the spa stay. The beginning and the end of the cure required substantially smaller amounts of water. This method, which was in use for about 150 years, was called „the pyramid cure".

The Thirty Year's War

The prosperity of Karlovy Vary was seriously damaged by the Thirty Year's War. The unsettled times were reflected namely in a dramatic drop in the number of spa visitors. Following the war, the number of guests reached about 70 - 100 of spa suites a year (a spa suite was a term used to describe a guest with his entourage, often rather numerous).


The growth at the end of the 17th century

The first visible revival of the spa life only came in the last third of the 17th century. It was brought by a wave of wealthy visitors mostly from the circles around the Saxon, Russian and Polish royal courts. The estimated number of visitors of Karlovy Vary in the 17th century (1600 - 1700) amounts to 10,000 patients. The town's popularity was significantly promoted by two visits by the Russian tsar Peter the Great in 1711 and 1712.
As a result of the growing number of visitors, visitor lists started to be compiled at the end of the 17th century. These originally hand-written lists, or „Kurlist", were later published in print. The first printed list appeared in 1795, the last was published as late as 1948.


Medical treatises

Numerous medical papers on Karlovy Vary significantly contributed to the growing popularity and number of guests around 1700. At the beginning of the 18th century, the water of Mill and New Springs was added to the Geyser water as a part of the drinking cure. The local doctors' works also served as a basis for drafting a simple method of spring salt production. The town citizens for long opposed its export because of their fears that the number of guests might drop. They even successfully lobbied for a strict ban on its export by Emperor Charles VI. in 1718.
 

Third Period

Comprehensive spa treatment

A major credit for the modernisation of Karlovy Vary balneology must be given to the lifetime work of dr. David Becher (1725 - 1792). He was the first to make a thorough truly scientific analysis of the spa waters. His endeavour helped to launch mass production and export of the spring salt in 1764. He pushed ahead progressive treatments still in use under the name „comprehensive spa treatment". He prescribed water of then unrecognised springs, advocated moderate water doses and resurrected the importance of soaks.
With regard to his own chemical analysis, Dr. Becher promoted drinking the water at the springs. He also recommended physical activity in the form of long walks. His principles gave birth to the pavilions and colonnades over the springs, promenades and specialized balneological facilities, and led to an overhaul of the existing spa life. In 1766 and 1772, David Becher published a paper on Karlovy Vary treatment, which still belongs to the most important balneological works relating to Karlovy Vary.


The boom of the spa of Karlovy Vary in the 18th century

The boom of Karlovy Vary spa business initiated the construction of a number of social and spa facilities, including the Saxon Hall in 1701, and the Bohemian Hall in 1728. In 1711, Mill Baths, the first public baths facility, was built. Following 1700, balneal treatments started to significantly carve the shape of the city. Everything was subjected to the needs of spa visitors.
The promising boom of Karlovy Vary was disrupted by a disastrous fire on 23 May 1759, which destroyed over two thirds of the city. Some 224 houses burnt to the ground. The disaster seriously harmed the spa business for years. The following reconstruction of Karlovy Vary was carefully planned, emphasizing picturesque appearance and luxurious houses. With the growing number of guests visiting the re-built town, the local bourgeoisie got richer and could afford to spend more on further building adaptations, further polishing the face of the city. This construction activity was -among other sources- also funded by the „spa tax", introduced in 1795. A financial contribution by Maria Theresa helped rebuild the Mill Baths in 1762. A modern Vřídlo Geyser Hall was opened in 1777, reflecting dr. Becher's therapeutic principles, stressing the need to drink the water at the spring. The proceeds from the sale of the spring salt paid for the construction of a new theatre building in 1788. The New Spring Colonnade of 1792 was the first structure of its kind in Karlovy Vary. It allowed the patients to linger around the springs even in bad weather. At the end of the 18th century, the spa visitors' social hub moved to the Bohemian Hall, bought by Johann Georg Pupp in 1775 and later developed by him into the largest hotel and restaurant facility in Karlovy Vary.


Further development of dr. Becher's therapies

The dawn of the 19th century brought further expansion of the spa business in Karlovy Vary. The prosperity of the town was not even threatened by the stormy years of Napoleonic wars. In the first half of the century, the therapy defined by David Becher was expanded and elaborated by a number of outstanding doctors. About 1860, Karlovy Vary became a favourite spot for patients suffering from diabetes, earning the tag "the diabetics' asylum". New treatments were added to drinking and soaks. Dr. Jean de Carro initiated the establishment of a steam spa adjacent to the Vřídlo geyser in 1826. Peat treatment followed in 1836. In 1838, "gas spa" was opened for patients who came to take baths, drink water and inhale. The "gas spa" was based on the site of today's Spa House VI. Following the recommendation by dr. Mannl, the Iron Spring was included in the treatment in 1856 and iron spring spa house was set up on its site. 1844 saw the beginning of massive export of spring water which was used worldwide to support treatments of digestive tract ailments. The success of the therapy brought positive publicity to the waters of Karlovy Vary and attracted even more visitors.



The change of the spa life-style at the end of the 19th century

Already around 1870 the spa high season was gradually extended. Before, it was marked by the dates of 15 June and 15 September. Following 1860, 1 May and 30 September gradually won general acceptance. The duration of the spa treatment settled down on 4 weeks. At the end of the first half of the 19th century, when the tone around the Vřídlo geyser was still mainly set by the nobility, the spa public went through gradual separation of classes. The former social spirit and costly pastimes started to disappear under the pressure of a dramatic increase of visitor numbers. Karlovy Vary, originally known as „the salon of Europe" was more and more turning into a „sanatorium of Europe". Eventually, the words of dr. Payer that "spa means treatment, not entertainment", which he articulated in 1522, came true.


The Modernisation of the second half of the 19th century

The second half of the 19th century in Karlovy Vary saw a long period of extensive construction work and the rise of modern spa treatment facilities. It was the last third of the century that gave the city its present architectonic face with a clear stamp of historicism and art nouveau. A number of dominant spa buildings were built in this period, such as the Vřídlo Geyser Colonnade, the Mill Colonnade, the theatre, or the Imperial Baths. Connecting the town to the European network of railways in 1870, when the Karlovy Vary - Cheb railway was opened, played a major role in further development of the resort. Railway connection to the capital of Prague followed a year later. The construction fever was crowned shortly before WWI, namely in 1912, when the international hotel Imperial was finished.


The influences of Prague and Viennese balneological schools

The modernisation of the spa facilities was accompanied with further development of both the theory and practice of Karlovy Vary balneology. Nearly every single medical practitioner in the town published his professional discoveries. Much attention was given to the application of Karlovy Vary mineral waters in treatments of diabetes, obesity and job-related illnesses. At the end of the 19th century, the main influence was that of the Viennese balneological school, which stressed the application of mineral water for more purposes than just drinking, such as for micro-massages, where natural carbon dioxide gas was used. Exploitation of the radioactivity of the springs was considered before WWI, resulting in the establishment of a radioactive spa in the nearby town of Jáchymov in 1906.
Following 1905, the year when Dr. Milan Mixa, one of the most prominent local spa doctors, settled in Karlovy Vary, the influence of Prague balneological school started to gain ground. The remarkable development in medicine at the turn of the 19th century helped articulate the Karlovy Vary method of treating digestive and metabolic disorders.


Pre-war rise and post-war stagnation

The changing lifestyle of the turn of the century combined with the influence of overseas and British visitors introduced a brand new pastime to Karlovy Vary: the sports, in which many spa guests indulged according to their physical capacities. Gradually, the city acquired tennis courts, golf courses, and a racecourse. Just before the outbreak of WWI, Karlovy Vary reached its historical peak in the number of spa visitors, providing treatment for 70,935 patients in 1911. The world war hit Karlovy Vary in its softest spot - it disrupted the flow of spa guests, paralysing the whole town. Its subsequent development, up till today, has followed a more or less declining trend. Lifestyle trends played a role, too. As soon as around 1900, spa guests were obviously attracted to sea-side spa resorts, namely the French Cote d'Azur. After WWI, the guests started to prefer mountains, especially the modern Alpine resorts.
Despite Karlovy Vary's privileged status as a spa, the town could not avoid the impacts of the long economic depression. The debts of hotel owners soared. Small businesses had to face devastating consequences. However, in spite of the depression, a few significant buildings were raised between the two world wars in Karlovy Vary, among them Spa House VI.
During WWII, the spa business was restricted in many ways. In March 1939, one of the symbols of the spa town, the cast-iron Vřídlo Geyser Colonnade, was dismantled and replaced with a wooden construction. Only 36,646 patients arrived in 1942, mostly from Germany. Allocation of soap and linens was restricted, board was strictly rationed. The last year of the war can be described as a collapse of the spa industry, as a mere 3 794 patients visited the spa in 1945 according to the statistics.

The nationalisation of the spa industry

After 1945, new principles started to apply in the spa business. The curative mineral springs and spa facilities were nationalized. Before 1948, most patients paid for their treatments just like before the war. In 1947, the State Spa enterprise was established. The patients were treated by private doctors and the Health Insurance Company covered a fixed part of the expenses, paying for a two-week stay and nine baths. In 1948, the Czechoslovak Spas and Springs national enterprise was established. The new enterprise took over all the spa facilities, including sanatoriums and hotels.

The splendour re-gained

In 1990 the privatisation of the national spa enterprise was launched. The decades long monopoly was replaced with new private companies and owners.
A new era of the spa industry in Karlovy Vary began. The privatisation in Karlovy Vary differed from the process in other Czech spa towns. New, independent spa facilities, sanatoriums, spa hotels and spa companies of various legal forms were established.
The town of Karlovy Vary re-gained its historic property (the colonnades, spa houses, incl. Spa House I, III and V, and natural curative resources). Two new municipal organisations were established: the Administration of Curative Resources and Colonnades and the Spa Medical Facilities. Other municipal organisations look after the environment in and around the city: the Administration of Spa Parks, and the Spa Woods Administration. The municipality also provides financial support to the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra, Amethyst Cultural Centre and the theatre.

A coveted spa resort again

The spa of Karlovy Vary has re-opened to the whole world in an effort to rapidly re-gain its long lost splendour and prosperity. The town looks better by the year; the spa facilities, restaurants and shops keep improving. The number of cultural events on offer to foreign visitors is growing, too.
Karlovy Vary hosts visitors of all continents, ranking among the "most international spas" in the world. Guests from over 60 countries come for three-week treatments, and visitors from over 80 countries visit the town on a short-term basis. The number of foreign visitors keeps climbing, and has already exceeded that of local guests. Many guests from around the world return to Karlovy Vary again and again. Some spa houses welcome their (mostly German speaking) guests even twice in a year. There even are patients who have visited the town more then fifty times already.


Karlovy Vary´s Famous Visitors

 

Karlovy Vary can boast an extraordinarily rich cultural tradition, which can be encountered on every step, stemming from the hundreds of years of patients coming to the local healing springs. Every visitor, not only the famous, has been and remains a valuable asset to Karlovy Vary and a good recommendation. Therefore the locals always kept their guests in high esteem and strived to make their stay in the town as enjoyable as they could.
The community of spa guests meeting in Karlovy Vary was becoming more and more international at the beginning of the 18th century. Both the nobility and European cultural elites were eager to show up at the Vřídlo geyser. Visits by prominent and outstanding guests have been a traditional feature of Karlovy Vary and have significantly enriched the town's history. Karlovy Vary became particularly popular among geniuses of music, literature and poetry. If we should rank the famous guests according to their social popularity around Vřídlo, the first prize would surely go to the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and the second place would be taken by the Russian tsar Peter the Great. The names of both these men are recorded in the history of the town in golden letters. Their visits are remembered on dozens of memorial plaques, monuments, in books, anecdotes and legends.
The following selective list of famous visitors of Karlovy Vary is in chronological order, according to the year of their visit. The term „Czech" describing the nationality of some of the guests should be understood in some cases only in the geographical context, i.e. a person living in the Czech territory, regardless of the language he or she spoke.

l37O, l374 and l376 - Charles IV., Czech king and Holy Roman emperor
l5OO - Bohuslav Hasištejnský of Lobkovice, Czech Renaissance writer
l63O - Albrecht of Waldstein, military commander of Czech origin
l695, l7O5, l7l2 and l7l7 - August II., Polish king, Saxon elector
l7O8 - Friedrich I., Prussian king
l7ll and l7l2 - Peter the Great, Russian tsar
l7l2 - G.W.Leibnitz, German philosopher
l7l8 and l72O - J.S.Bach, German composer
l72l and l732 - Maria Theresa, Austrian Empress
l732 - Eugene of Savoy, Austrian prince, victor over the Turks
l732 - Charles VI, Austrian emperor
l763 - Ch.F.Gellert, German writer
l763 - G.E.Laudon, Austrian field marshal
l766 - Josef II., Austrian emperor
l768 - Count Orlow - Tschesmenski, Russian general
l785 - G.Casanova, Italian writer and globetrotter
l785 - l823 /a total of 13 visits / - J.W.Goethe, German poet
l786 - J. G. Herder, German philosopher
l79l - F. Schiller, German poet
l799 - F.Gilly, German architect, died in Karlovy Vary
l8lO - Maria Ludovica, Austrian empress
l8lO, l8ll and l8l3 - T.Körner, German poet
l8lO - K.Sternberg, Czech scholar
l8l2 - L. v. Beethoven, German composer
l8l2 - Franz I., Austrian emperor
l8l2 - Marie Louise, French empress
l8l6 - G.L.Blücher, Prussian field marshal
l8l7 - A.v. Arnim, German writer
l8l8 - A. Catalani, Italian singer
l8l8 - J. Dobrovský, Czech scholar
l8l9 - K.L.V. Metternich, Austrian chancellor
l8l9 - J.Kollár, Czech poet
l82l - K.N.Batiushkov, Russian poet
l822 - J.Berzelius, Swedish chemist
l828 - N.Paganini, Italian violin virtuoso
l829 - A.Mickiewicz, Polish poet
l832 and l833 - R.Chateaubriand, French writer
l835 - R.Wagner, German composer
l835 - F.Chopin, Polish composer
l836 - J.K.Tyl, Czech writer
l837 - J.Jungmann, Czech scholar
l844 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - son, Austrian composer, died in Karlovy Vary
l845 - N.V.Gogol, Russian writer
l849 - K.H.Borovský, Czech journalist and writer
l849 - F.Palacký, Czech historian and politician
l852 - Otto I., Greek king
l853 - F.Lizst, Hungarian composer
l853 - J.Barrande, French scholar
l862 - J.E.Purkyně, Czech scholar
l863 - O.v. Bismarck, German chancellor
l864 and l9O4 - Franz Josef I., Austrian Emperor
l865 - A.Stifter, Austrian writer of Czech origin
l869 - Wilhelm I., Prussian king
l869 - J.Arány, Hungarian poet
l87l - Don Pedro II., Brazilian emperor
l872 - J.Neruda, Czech writer
l874, l875 and l876 - K.Marx, German philosopher
l874 - I.S.Turgeniev, Russian writer
l879, l88l, l882, l885, l894 and l895 - A.Dvořák, Czech composer
l88l - H.Schliemann, German archaeologist
l887 - E.Grieg, Norwegian composer
l887, l9ll, l9l2, l9l4 and l9l5 - S.Freud, Austrian psychologist, born in Moravia
l888 - E. Holub, Czech explorer
l89l - Albert of Saxony, Saxon king
l896 - J.Brahms, German composer
l898 - T.Fontane, German writer
l9O2 - Muzzafer Edin, Persian shah
l9O4 - E.Destinová, Czech opera singer
l9O7 - Edward VII., English king
l9l3 - L.Janáček, Czech composer
l9l6 - F.Kafka, Czech writer
l9l8 - K.Atatürk, Turkish leader
l922 - A. Mucha, Czech painter
l923 - l932 - Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, first president of Czechoslovakia
l926 - R.Strauss, Austrian composer
l926 - M. Pickford, American actress
l926 - D.Fairbanks, American actor
l927 - I. P. Pavlov, Russian scientist
l93O - F.Móra, Hungarian writer
l932 - l935 - K. Čapek, Czech writer
l933 - G.A.von Mannerheim, Finnish general and statesman
l936 and l946 - E.E.Kisch, Czech journalist and writer
l936 - A.Tolstoy, Russian writer
l938 - A.Hitler, German dictator
l946 - I.S.Koniev, Russian marshal
l947 - Edvard Beneš, Czechoslovak president
l947 - R. Hayworth, American actress
l955 - A.Khachaturian, Armenian composer
l958 - A. Zweig, German writer
l958 - N. Hikmet, Turkish poet
l959 - Hailé Sellasie, emperor of Ethiopia
l96l - D.F. Oistrach, Russian violinist
l963 - Ch. Barber, English jazz musician
l963 - L. Chiron, French car racing driver
l964 - C. Cardinal, Italian actress
l966 - J.A. Gagarin, Russian astronaut
l967 - L.Brezhniev, Russian statesman
l968 - P. Brice, French actor
l968 - A.N.Kosygin, Russian statesman
l969 - B. Polevoj, Russian writer
l97O - H.Fonda, American actor
l974 - J. Aldridge, English writer
l984 - J. P. d. Cuellar, UN Secretary General
l985 - G. Bécaud, French singer
l987 - Juan Carlos I., Spanish king
l988 - Ch. Sartzetakis, Greek president
l988 - B.Bertolucci, Italian director
l99O - Václav Havel, Czech president
l992 - M.Forman, Czech-American director
l994 - J. d. Luxemburg, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
l994 - V. Finnbogadottir, president of Iceland
l994 - M.v. Sydow, Sweedish actor
l994 - Suarez, Portugeese president
l995 - G. Lollobrigida, Italian actress
l995 - M. York, American actor
l996 - Sayako, Japanese princess
l996 - Shankar Dayal Sharma, Indian president
l996 - G. Peck, American actor
l996 - P. Richard, French actor
1997 - Harald V, Norwegian king
1998 - Michael Douglas, American actor
1999 - Woody Harelson, Dolores Chaplin, actors
2002 - Jackie Chan, actor
2002 - Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Turkish president
2002 - Michail Gorbatchov, Russian politician

For the reason of brevity, this list only contains the most famous names. Among other celebrity guests, Karlovy Vary have also welcomed the German philosopher Fichte, the German poet Heine, the Austrian empress Elizabeth, emperor Franz Joseph's lover, actress Katharina Schratt, the families of magnates like Rockefeller and Rotschild, German industrialist Arthur Krupp, pasha Izzet of Constantinopole, prince Kamel Hussein of Cairo, and the Chinese ambassador Chen Soen Ling. The most famous guests who visited Karlovy Vary before 1914 have been portrayed on two large canvasses by local painter Wilhelm Schneider. The originals hang in the Spa House I (Imperial Baths), their replicas can be seen in the Karlovy Vary museum. New names and entries are added to the list of famous guests every year. Each of the names means valuable publicity for the spa, each of them is a small piece of the colourful and diverse mosaic of Karlovy Vary - the city of famous visitors.


The Pupp Dynasty

The economic history of Karlovy Vary was significantly influenced by three companies: Mattoni (mineral waters), Moser (glass factory) and Pupp. So who were the Pupps?
The Pupp family /originally written Popp/ came from the town of Veltrusy in central Bohemia, where the first mention of a Georg Pupp can be found, dating back to 1705. His son, Johann Georg Pupp, born on l7 April l743, confectioner to Count Rudolf Chotek, came to work in Karlovy Vary in l76O. Thanks to his profitable marriage with Franciska Mitterbacher, he was able to buy the Bohemian Hall venue, which stood on the site of the present Grandhotel Pupp. He invested a lot into its modernisation. The halls were decorated by Josef Kramolín. The manager Johann Georg Pupp turned Bohemian Hall into the very centre of social life and into a meeting place for the town elite and the international spa community consisting mostly of the nobility.
Johann Georg Pupp died on l6 February l8lO, leaving two sons, Josef and Johann. The elder Josef inherited the Bohemian Hall. His widow was forced to sell the house outside the family in 1827. Johann Pupp strived for years to re-gain the Bohemian Hall for the family, however, to no avail. It was his son, tinner Heinrich Pupp, who gradually / l832, l85O and l857 / purchased 3/5 of the Bohemian Hall. The tinner Heinrich Pupp died on 7 July l864. His sons Anton, Julius and Heinrich inherited their father's share in the Bohemian Hall, including the land. Their systematic series of land purchases resulted in their full ownership of the Bohemian Hall and a few surrounding houses by 1870.
Anton Pupp became a confectioner and in 1866 married into the Mattoni family. In the same year he opened a large confectionery in the Bohemian Hall and a bakery in the house "To the English Queen". He had seven children.
Julius Pupp was a very skilful businessman, and also became a father of seven.
Heinrich Pupp only had one daughter.
The Pupp brothers became official business partners on 20 June l872, the year which should be seen as the year of founding the Grandhotel Pupp company.
Under the management of the brothers Anton, Julius and Heinrich, the Pupp company grew and flourished, as did its renown. Within a short period, numerous additional buildings sprang up in the place of the present GH Pupp. In l879, the company bought the land of the former paper mill in the village of Březová to set up its own gardening production. A cafe, a billiard hall and a service building were raised in l872 - 74, the restaurant followed in l875. Between l876 and l883, the Parkhotel was built and amended. In l889, the houses Saxon Hall, Bavaria and Golden Well were bought. Following their demolition (incl. the Bohemian Hall), the new Grandhotel Pupp was erected in their place.
In 1890 the Pupp company was transformed into a stock company. Anton Pupp became its first president; later the brothers took turns at the post. Anton and Heinrich ran the restaurants, Julius was in charge of the hotels, cafe and gardening production. During the years, their sons gradually took over the management.
Julius Pupp died in l9O2, Heinrich Pupp retired to Vienna in l9O3. Anton Pupp, the most active and outstanding of the trio, passed away on 7 October 1907. He was a generous sponsor of a whole range of events in Karlovy Vary and donated large sums for social purposes. He also built the luxurious houses "To the Golden Harp", "Quisisana", "Themis" and "Thalfried".
Between 1892-1893 the hotel complex was re-built into its present form. The costs reached millions of Austrian crowns.
A modern concert and café veranda above the river Teplá was added in l9lO. l9ll saw another reconstruction in the Parkhotel, and its inauguration on 19th May.
From l9O8, the company was managed by Julius, Theodor and Karl Pupp. Karl's son Leo Pupp became the managing director of GH Pupp in 1920.
The last major pre-war overhaul took place in l922 - l923, focusing on the inside equipment. The purchase of the large concert organ for the Grand Hall in 1925 was a major, costly investment. The instrument cost 260,000 Czechoslovak crowns.

This brief overview has shown the breathtaking step-by-step effort of many generations of one Karlovy Vary family building a hotel whose fame has spread beyond the borders of the city and of the Czech Republic already more than a century ago. The Pupp dynasty succeeded in its effort. For the good of Karlovy Vary, let us wish the same to all their successors, who pursue the good name of GH Pupp Company.


The Beginnings of Motoring in Karlovy Vary

In l9l2, Karlovy Vary based Ernest Hofmann's car boot company published a motorist's guide to west-Bohemian spas. The book tells us that in that year, Karlovy Vary boasted 4O car owners, driving 19 different car makes, among them Laurin-Klement, Benz, Opel, Fiat, Dorrago, Italia, Adler, Manhart, Dietrich, or Horch. Fifteen of the forty cars were cabs. The guide also lists 1O basic rules for driving in Karlovy Vary. It is quick to remind that it is forbidden to drive through the spa faster than 12 km per hour. The drivers were friendly advised „not to take notice of swears and insults by passing cart men or horse cabmen", who were absolutely correct in seeing cars as the doom of their trades.
The guidebook further instructs the drivers: „Drive carefully through mud to avoid splattering it on pedestrians." The rules regulating driving in the town stipulated that during nights between May 16 and September 30 from 10 pm till 5 am, the speed in the spa centre must not exceed 6 km per hour, i.e. 100 m per minute. The reason for the speed limit is slightly obscure. Was it to protect late night walkers? The most likely explanation is that at that time, cars going at higher speeds made louder, disturbing noise. Another provision allows only deep sounds to be used as warning signals, banning trumpets, bells and horns. Any signalling had to cease as soon as horses or other animals started to show signs of unrest or fear. The first car owners in Karlovy Vary belonged of course to the rich circles. They were people like glass factory owner Ludwig Moser, hotel manager Theodor Pupp, or Ludwig Starck, owner of a kaolin washing plant. What were the car cab prices? In 1912, a return trip from Karlovy Vary to Mariánské Lázně would cost you 120 crowns. A return trip to Prague could be bought for 350 crowns and to Dresden for 400 crowns plus tip.
In early February 1913, the Egerländer Automobil Club was established in Karlovy Vary. Since its beginnings, it was active in promoting and developing motoring, which was still in its infancy and had to overcome a number of hostile attitudes. Among other things, the Club managed to push through duty free traffic to most European countries and cheaper fuel imports. It also provided information to motorists. The Club's activities were later paralysed by W.W.I. After its end, Karlovy Vary club was the first to organise an international motor race in Czechoslovakia in 1920, The First International Spa Race Karlovy Vary - Mariánské Lázně. The route was l29.6 km long. The race received positive response and was repeated in 1921 and 1922. In 1923, it was replaced with an up-hill race along the serpentine road to Prague. Memorial plaques were issued on the occasion of the race. Apart of the races, the Club was involved in a wide range of other activities. For its members, it organised lectures, discussions, exchanges and trips within the country and abroad. In l92l the Club launched publishing its own newsletter covering all German motoring clubs in Czechoslovakia. Its further development was encouraged by securing a Club venue in the Tiroler House (now part of the Kolonáda Hotel) in 1922.
Looking back, it can be said that today's Karlovy Vary Motoring Club has a long-established tradition to be proud of.


Russian Tsar Peter the Great in Karlovy Vary

Russian tsar Peter the Great / l672 - l725 / ranks among the most prominent visitors of Karlovy Vary. He visited the spa twice, in 1711 and 1712, on both occasions surprisingly after the end of the summer season. His first stay commenced on 24 September 1711. Tsar's satisfaction was then the responsibility of Count Nostitz, who came to meet the Russian sovereign in Karlovy Vary and to personally ensure that everything was all right. The spa treatment proved beneficial, and so Peter the Great returned the following year. He arrived on l9 October 1712 amidst great pomp, a splendid welcome ceremony prepared by the locals. The tsar was in remarkable physical shape and had exceptional manual dexterity, which ensured his great popularity and a lasting memory. You can still hear the stories of his extraordinary achievements, such as: helping the workers with the construction of the Peacock House (U páva) all day (a memorial plaque on the house „Petr"), his horse-riding skills he proved by riding an unbacked horse to a steep hill (today called Peter's Hill or Petrova výšina, where the tsar's bust commemorating Peter's ride can be seen; the ride was also depicted in the painting by W.Schneider to be seen in the Jelení skok café), in an iron-mill in the village of Březová the tsar hammered a bar and a horse shoe (memorial plaque on the house), he made a lavishly decorated ivory tobacco box (to be seen in the National Museum in Prague), he turned out three beaded wooden card table legs (the table is on display in Karlovy Vary Museum), as an outstanding darter, he won the local contest in target shooting (Karlovy Vary Museum exhibits his three 1711 authentic painted targets).
The tsar also had miniature wooden models of fortresses and cities made by local carpenter Franz Dietl, for which he provided his own drawings and designs. He also favoured local cutler Wenzel Erb, who later invited him to his wedding in the „Brown Doe" house (today „Salvator") in Vřídelní Street on 1 November 1712.
During his second visit to Karlovy Vary in 1712, Peter the Great met the German philosopher Leibnitz to discuss political feasibility of an alliance between Russia and Austria against France. In Karlovy Vary, he signed a decree awarding Leibnitz the title of a Russian Privy Councillor of Justice with annual pay of 1000 talers. Leibnitz, in exchange, was to assist with the advancement of scholarship, arts and science in Russia.
Also, during his stay in Karlovy Vary, Peter the Great had his portrait painted by an excellent Czech Baroque painter Jan Kupecký.
The tsar's two stays in Karlovy Vary had a major publicity impact. Shortly afterwards, large numbers of Russian and Polish nobility started to come to the spa town to show up in the newly fashionable resort.



Karlovy Vary - the Most Famous Czech Spa

The spa town of Karlovy Vary is situated in the west of the Czech Republic, in a narrow valley on the junction of rivers Teplá and Ohře, in the altitude of 376 meters. The town is surrounded by three mountain ranges - Krušné Hory Mountains, Doupov Hills and Slavkovský Les Hills. Mixed and coniferous forests grow all around Karlovy Vary, covering 36 per cent of the town territory itself. In the forests, there is a web of 130 kilometres of paths. In 1999, over 60 000 residents lived in Karlovy Vary.
The town of Karlovy Vary was founded by the Czech King and Holy-Roman Emperor Charles IV. around 1350. Its foundation and growth was always inseparably linked to the healing effects of its mineral springs. Several times the town suffered from severe disasters - fires in 1604 and 1759, and floods in 1582, 1821 and 1890. However, the spa industry always helped to rebuild the damaged city. At the end of the 19th century, Karlovy Vary became a spa resort of world renown.
The annual number of patients and treatment services make Karlovy Vary the largest spa in the Czech Republic. Over 6 million patients from all parts of the world have undergone the treatment. Spa industry is the main feature of the town. Over 60 thermal springs surface in the town. Thirteen major springs are used for the balneological purposes. The temperature of the springs varies between 34 and 73 degrees Centigrade. Chemically speaking, they are alkaline-muriatic-salinic acidulous waters. The spring discharge amounts to 33 litres per second. A wide range of ailments is treated in Karlovy Vary, including digestive and metabolic systems disorders or diseases of locomotive organs. Karlovy Vary annually welcomes 70 thousand patients, 250 thousand tourists and 2 million day visitors coming from 70 different countries of the world.
Ten main springs are used in the balneological treatments, i.e. for drinking, soaks, and other special treatments, surfacing in following twelve discharges: Vřídlo (the Thermal Geyser) 72,7°C, Charles IV Spring 63,4°C, Lower Castle Spring 61,4°C, Upper Castle Spring 61,4°C, Marketplace Spring 58,7 °C, Mill Spring 53 °C, Rusalka Nymph Spring 58,3 °C, Prince Wenceslas Spring 63,6 °C, Princess Libuše Spring 58,4 °C, Rock Spring 47,1 °C, Freedom Spring 58,1 °C and Park Spring 38°C. The 13th mineral spring, Štěpánka (Steffanie) was made available for use in 1998 as the only cold source in Karlovy Vary (10°C). A tour of the colonnades and springs, especially the Vřídlo geyser, is a must in a typical sightseeing tour of the town.
Most monuments and points of interest in Karlovy Vary can be found in the spa area in the centre, spreading from the main Post Office to Grandhotel Pupp, along the river Teplá. Red, blue and green marked hiking routes lead through the town, the bookshops and news stands offer a wide choice of maps and guide books about Karlovy Vary and its sights.
The first and strongest impression Karlovy Vary make on a guest comes from the overall architectonic lay-out of the town, further amplified by the natural setting in a wooded valley. Later the visitor sets out to reveal more and more elements that compose the charm of this unique place - hot mineral springs, romantic architecture and idyllic spots in the surrounding woods.
The opinions regarding the architecture in Karlovy Vary have gone through an uneasy development. First, as it was emerging about 100 years ago, it was widely admired. Later, after 1945, it was condemned as bad taste. Today it allures both general and expert public.
A whole range of different architectonic styles helped to form the city's present urban shape. Its architectonic substance used to change each 100 - 120 years. The original Gothic and Renaissance landmarks have vanished. The Baroque style is remembered in the parish St. Mary Magdalene's (Kilian Ignac Dienzenhofer, l736), the Trinity Column (Josef Oswald Wenda, l7l6), The Castle Tower (1608) and a few statues. The Renaissance and Baroque character of the town was wiped off by disastrous fires. At the end of the 18th and in the first half of the 19th centuries, Karlovy Vary was under the influence of Classicism, Empire and Biedermeier styles, all typical for the decorative spa architecture. The present face of the city was however predominantly shaped by construction activities in the second half of the 19th century, namely by the styles of Historism and Art Nouveau. The large-scale modernisation required hundreds of houses to be torn down. Between 1855 and 1914, the most distinct public facilities were built, which have won the admiration of tourists up till today: the Military Balneological Institute (V.Hagenauer, 1855), Spa House III. (J.Renner, E.Labitzky, G.Hein, l866), Cheb Bridge l869, Buštěhrad railway and the Upper Railway Station 1870, Franz Josef Lookout Pavilion (today Charles IV Lookout) l877, Vřídlo Colonnade (Fellner-Helmer, 1879), Spa House IV. (L.Renner, 1878, today Atrium shopping mall), the Mill Colonnade (Josef Zítek, l87l - l88l), the Park Colonnade with its restaurant (Fellner-Helmer, l88l, only fragments survived till our times), the Marketplace Colonnade (Fellner-Hemer, l883), the municipal theatre (Fellner-Helmer, l886), Steffanie Lookout tower and restaurant (Fellner-Helmer, l889, today Goethe Lookout), the Grandhotel Pupp complex 1892-1893, the Imperial Baths (Fellner-Helmer, l895, today Spa House I.), Russian orthodox church (Gustav Wiedermann, 1897), the railway to Mariánské Lázně (Marienbad) and its Lower Railway Station l898, Hotel Národní dům (Fellner-Helmer, 1901), the Main Post Office (Friedrich Setz,1903), Spa House V. (Franz Drobny, 1906), the Savings bank (Otto Stainl, 1906), the art gallery (W. Seitz l9l2), Hotel Imperial (Ernest Hebrard, l9l2), the Friendship Height Funicular, the Castle Colonnade (Friedrich Ohmann, 1913), the tower and restaurant on the Friendship Height (l9l2 - l9l4). Two more funicular railways were constructed leading to Hotel Imperial, and another one, climbing to the Three Cross Hill (U tří křížů) was started, though left unfinished. Most of the abovementioned buildings are protected as national heritage.
The style of Historism was strongly influenced by Viennese architecture, represented in Karlovy Vary by the architect duo of Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer, who designed over 20 major buildings in the town, creating its unique and much admired atmosphere. They won the greatest credit for the 1879 Vřídlo Colonnade, made of prefabricated cast-iron elements produced by Blanenské železárny ironworks. The colonnade was builtin less then six months. On the other hand, the construction of the Mill Colonnade, designed and managed by Czech architect Josef Zítek, had already been wearing on for almost a decade the year when the Vřídlo Colonnade was opened, which earned it some severe criticism. After Fellner and Helmer's fabulous entreé in the form of the Vřídlo Colonnade, their atelier continued to receive exclusive jobs for the following 20 years, as the commercial architectonic style of the Viennese architects fully satisfied the investor requirements and reflected the taste of the spa guests in that period.
The extensive construction activity before the W.W.I was crowned by the opening of the international Grandhotel Imperial in 1912, which became the symbol of the Golden Age in Karlovy Vary. However, W.W.I made an end to the boom. Modern architecture after 1945 found its rather unfortunate expression in the new Vřídlo Colonnade (Jaroslav Otruba, l975) and Thermal sanatorium (Věra and Vladimír Machonin, l977).
Karlovy Vary has welcomed numerous celebrity guests. The most famous of them are remembered on dozens of memorial plaques, statues and monuments scattered across the city (Goethe, Schiller, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Mickiewicz, Peter the Great, Marx, Dvořák, Zítek, Čapek, and others). Some celebrity visitors, who visited Karlovy Vary before 1914, had been portrayed on two large canvasses by local painter Wilhelm Schneider. The originals hang in the Spa House I (Imperial Baths), their replicas can be seen in Karlovy Vary Museum.

Among the integral attributes of a spa resort, such as the springs, colonnades and typical architecture, you will also find parks and forest paths. The trendiness of exploring the nature and the landscape around 1800 served as a strong incentive for the construction of forest trails. A large share of the existing paths around Karlovy Vary has been inherited from this era of romanticism. The town was always aware of their importance, and wisely continued throughout the 19th century to buy more and more tracts of forests from private owners, extending its own forest property. Before WWI, the town owned all forests within two hours' walking distance. The thick web of paths reached a total length of 130 kilometres. The development of Karlovy Vary forest parks reached its climax in the construction of restaurants and view towers in the hills overseeing the city. Gradually, five lookout pavilions were raised: in 1877 Franz Josef Pavilion on Hamer Hill (today called Charles IV Pavilion), Lookout Gloriet on Vítkova hora hill, in 1889 Steffanie Lookout on the Eternal Life Hill (today Goethe Lookout), in 1905 Doubská hora Hill (Aberg) Lookout and shortly before the WWI in 1913 the tower on the Friendship Height (Diana). The patients had to conquer most of the spots on foot as a part of their prescribed treatments, though to the more distant locations they would take a fiacre or a donkey cart. In order to make the higher paths and lookout points more accessible, a number of funiculars were built around 1900. Today, two of them are still in operation, one climbing to the Friendship Height with the Diana tower and restaurant, the second connects the spa centre with Hotel Imperial.
A commendable tradition linked to the forest and park paths has taken root in Karlovy Vary: the paths are linked with memorial plaques bearing words of thanks, admiration and praise by thankful spa patients. The Lourdes may have a pyramid of crutches of the healed patients. Karlovy Vary has a unique natural gallery of thanks along the Goethe Path between Grandhotel Pupp and the Art Gallery. Many visitors not only paid for the plaque with words of thanks, but also sponsored construction or maintenance of various structures in the forests around the city, which later bore their names, giving the donors a touch of immortality. Despite all whirlwinds of the time, we still have Findlater's Pavilion, Maier's Gloriet, Wolf's bench and many other memories of the good patrons. Páral's Bench was installed in 1999 to commemorate Vladimír Páral, a well-known Czech writer, sponsor and admirer of Karlovy Vary.
A tourist strolling through the Karlovy Vary woods will not only find words of thanks, but also a large number of crosses and chapels. Most are scattered in the forest parks to the southwest of the city. They were erected by pious and thankful spa patients. Today, they can serve as the ideal place for a prayer or a quiet contemplation. (St. Mary Chapel, Schwarz's Chapel, Forrest Chapel, Keglevich's Cross, St. Laurence Chapel, Rohan's Cross, Ecce Homo Chapel, White Cross, Stone Book, etc.)
The typical destinations recommended for forest walks in every guide book include the Stag Leap with the statue of an izzard (August Kiss, 1851) and a cafe of the same name, Friendship Height with its café and Diana Tower, St. Leonard forest restaurant, fancied by the first Czechoslovak president T. G. Masaryk (near the restaurant, there is a Romanesque 13th century ruin of St. Leonard Church, the oldest sight in Karlovy Vary), Peter's Height with the abovementioned Maier's Gloriet (1804), a cross and a lookout roundel and a bust of the Russian tsar Peter the Great (Tomáš Seidan, 1877), U tří křížů (Three Crosses Hill) with a Camera Obscura Pavilion, Goethe Tower and Cafe, Charles IV Lookout Pavilion, Aberg restaurant and the adjacent tower, The Forest Chapel and the Chapel U obrazu (1900). Since 1999, Karlovy Vary has a rare attraction in the form of a Japanese Garden near Parkhotel Richmond. It is a stone garden, designed for relaxation and meditation in the Zen Buddhism style.
Many romantic views can also be encountered in the parks of Karlovy Vary. The most beautiful natural, English-style park is the wooded valley of the river Teplá between Grandhotel Pupp, Poštovní Dvůr /Postal Court/ restaurant and Parkhotel Richmond. This area used to be called Dorothy's Meadows after Grand Duchess Dorothy of Courland, who fell in love with the place at the end of the 18th century. She is commemorated in the classicist Dorothy's Pavilion of 1791, opposite the Art Gallery. The romantic pavilion was also often visited by the famous adventurer, writer and connoisseur of women, Giacomo Casanova, who arrived in Karlovy Vary for the first time in 1785, the same year as Goethe.
PhDr. Stanislav Burachovič


Doctor Jean de Carro

Med.Dr. Jean de Carro occupies one of the central places in the gallery of Karlovy Vary personalities. He brought much benefit to the city in many areas. There was no more enthusiastic an advocate of Karlovy Vary before or after de Carro. The Russian poet Petr Vyazemskiy described him in his diary on 17 May 1853: „He is eager to know everything relating to Karlovy Vary. The whole world gathers around him in Karlovy Vary. Such people are crucial to ensure that nothing in the world runs to waste."
Jean de Carro was a great supporter of the Czech nation and a friend to many Czech movement activists (Karel Vinařický, Josef Jungmann, František Palacký, Jan Theobald Held, Václav Hanka and many more). He maintained contact with the Czech Society for Sciences in Prague.
Carro, French by origin, came from an old and influential Genevan family. He was born in Geneva on 8 August l77O, went to university in Edinburgh in Scotland, where he graduated as medical doctor in 1793. He started his medical practice in Vienna, where he also worked as a scientific researcher. He was the first doctor in Austria to carry out successful vaccination against smallpox, producing a series of scientific papers on its effects.
He first came to Karlovy Vary in May 1826 to treat his painful gout inflammation of joints. After a short treatment at the springs, his health condition dramatically improved. Carro repeated the cure the following year with an even greater success. As he enjoyed Karlovy Vary and as the springs had miraculous effects on his ailing joints, he decided to settle down in the city and soon became a popular spa doctor thanks to his professional and personal merits.
Apart from medicine, Carro was keenly interested also in literature and history. In Karlovy Vary he discovered the historical character of Bohuslav Hasištejnský of Lobkovice that became a source of great inspiration for him.. He had his Ode to the Vřídlo geyser translated into 22 languages. In 1829 he published the translations accompanied with the renaissance author's biography and the engraved picture of his castle of Hasištejn in a book. The same year saw the second edition of his French book on Karlovy Vary (first edition in l827), which he had written in an effort to overcome the lack of guide books in other languages than German. Apart from this French guidebook, Carro also wrote a visitor's manual in English, which brought an increasing number of British guests to Karlovy Vary. However, the book that earned Carro the most lasting credit was his French yearbook "Almanach de Carlsbad", published between l83l and l856. These almanacs make up a unique encyclopaedia, which can be found in no other spa resort in the world. They provide a valuable source of information about the life in Karlovy Vary in the covered period of almost thirty years. Their publishing plan covered everything relating in some way to Karlovy Vary, every bit of information from all walks of history and contemporary times in Karlovy Vary. The almanacs regularly included a survey of Czech literature compiled by a Prague writer, Karel Vinařický. In his almanacs, Carro dedicated a lot of space to articles about the culture and history of the Czech nation.
The topics and the language provoked resentment among some nationalistic representatives of public life in Karlovy Vary. Especially dr. Gallus Hochberger became a passionate ideological adversary of doctor Carro. The well-educated and progressive Carro spotted many vices surviving in the conservative small town. He mercilessly criticised all negative attributes, which in his eyes damaged the good name of the spa town, such as the often inadequate quality of accommodation and board. In his opinion, even the local balneological practice was lagging behind the trends in the rest of Europe. In l827, shortly after settling down in Karlovy Vary, he wrote: "I want to work in Karlovy Vary and I want to work to improve it. I never look down on the customs of other nations, but Karlovy Vary should adhere to the European order." His uncompromising attitude towards conservative opinions made dr. Carro many enemies, but it also often won sympathies and liking.
The locals were dedicated to dr. Carro only while he was alive. After his death, his personality was often forgotten or even suppressed, mostly due to Carro's affection for the Czech and Slavic culture. Some doctors in Karlovy Vary went as far as trying to discredit his literary works.
Carro was a close friend of a Karlovy Vary historian A.L.Stöhr and his nephew dr. Rudolph Mannl. In 1830 provost Stöhr aptly summed up Carro's relation to Karlovy Vary: "Everybody in this town of springs should know that doctor Carro breathes and acts only for the glory and well-being of Karlovy Vary. I admire his love for Karlovy Vary, the town he is striving to turn into the prime place in the world!"
At the end of his life, Carro compiled his most important texts on Karlovy Vary in a book called "Vingt - huit ans d´observation et d´experience a Carlsbad", published in l853. It consists of 62 articles, mostly pertaining to spa treatments.
The most important source of biographical information about dr. Carro can be found in his memoirs published following an incentive by the City Council in 1855.
Jean de Carro died in Karlovy Vary on l2 March l857. He was buried in St. Andrew Cemetery, where his tombstone can still be seen.
Dr. Carro's memory was revived after 1945 by a relentless local enthusiast Karel Nejdl. The personality of dr. Jean de Carro became Nejdl's inspiration and role model. In l958 he published a pioneering biography "Jean de Carro a jeho Karlovy Vary" /Jean de Carro and His Karlovy Vary/. Prague author Alena Šubrtová published a novel about the life and work of dr. Jean de Carro in 1987.



Goethe and Karlovy Vary

Goethe kept returning to Karlovy Vary as a patient during a long period between l785 and l823, almost 40 years. Added together, his thirteen stays in the spa town made up almost three years of his life. It is well known that he fell in love with Karlovy Vary and regarded it, together with Weimar and Rome, as one of the most beautiful places in the world. There are hundreds of books describing Goethe's relation to Karlovy Vary.
Thanks to Goethe's detailed diaries, we have ample knowledge about his trips and experiences, as well as natural and historical places he visited during his stays. His sense for detail allowed us to compile the following brief list of Goethe locations in Karlovy Vary and its surrounding.

Goethe Houses in Karlovy Vary

Bílý zajíc (White Hare) - l785, plaque
Mozart - l786, plaque
Madrid - l795, plaque
U tří mouřenínů (Three Moors) - l8O6, l8O7, l8O8, l8lO, l8ll, l8l2,l8l8, l8l9 and l82O, plaque
Zlatý pštros (Golden Ostrich) / Strauss - l823 , plaque

Places in and around Karlovy Vary visited by or related to Goethe

Three Crosses Hill (U tří křížů) - l8O8, geological research
Vřídlo - Goethe expressed his admiration for the Geyser in several poems, in 1810 he painted the geyser and its surrounding with traces of the geyser explosion of 1809
Goethe's bust on the Goethe Path by Adolf Donndorf, l883, next to the monument, there is a memorial plaque with Goethe's admiring lines on Karlovy Vary
Goethe's Path - the poet's favourite walk
Painting depicting the famous visitors of Karlovy Vary in Spa House I, including Goethe /a replica of the painting can be seen in the Karlovy Vary Museum/, painted by Wilhelm Schneider, l9l4
Lesser Versailles (Malé Versailles) Restaurant - Goethe attended the wedding of his „Three Moors House" landlady's son in 1820
Saxon and Bohemian Hall /present Grandhotel Pupp/ - frequent visits to dances and social events
„Keglevitch cross" next to Hotel Pupp - Goethe made a drawing of the rock with the cross in 1807
Poštovní dvůr /Postal Court/ restaurant - visits to the restaurant and concerts, in 1818 Goethe twice attended a concert by a famous Italian singer A. Catalani
Prague road serpentine under the village of Hůrky - Goethe admired the new road for its daring technical parameters
Eternal Life Hill, present Goethe Lookout - Goethe used to come here with stone cutter Josef Müller to search for minerals
Doubí Estate - frequent outings to the restaurant on his walks to Loket or Svatošské skály rock
Svatošské skály rock - frequent day trips
Körner's Oak in Dalovice - l8O8
Dalovice - l8O8, a trip and a tour of the local porcelain factory
Březová - l8O6, geological research
Vysoká - l8O6, geological research
Lesov - l8O6, geological research
Rybáře - l8ll, tour of the town
Bohatice - l8ll, a number of visits to the local pub offering a selection of quality Hungarian wines
Andělská hora - l8O6, geological research
Jáchymov - l785, tour of the mines
Loket - frequent trips, tour of the porcelain factory, in l823 the memorable party on the occasion of Goethe's 74th birthday on the terrace of the White Horse (Bílý kůň) hotel, attended by Amalie and Ulrika von Levetzow, memorial plaque on the hotel, Goethe's statue by Willy Russ, l932
Horní Slavkov - l8ll, a tour of tin mines, an angry argument between Goethe and the local pub owner over an overpriced meal, which had to be settled by Loket regional hetman, Goethe's visit is commemorated by a relief painting on the Town Hall wall
Nejdek - in 1786, Goethe made a drawing of the rock with the castle tower, the memorial plaque destroyed after 1945



The History of the Castle Spring (Zámecký pramen)

The 1801 guide to Karlovy Vary by a Prague writer Hubert von Harrer states that the Castle Spring had been known since 1736, but only rarely used even for washing dishes, and not applied in spa treatments at all. The legend has it that it was discovered by an eight-year old future Karlovy Vary shoemaker Anton Tschamler in 1769. The new spring was explored by dr. David Becher and dr. Martin Heinrich Klaproth, a famous geologist and chemical analyst, in 1789. Dr. Becher then recommended the City Council to exploit the spring. That was done and later the spring was analysed by a number of renowned doctors. They all recommended the water for drinking cures. The spring got its name after its proximity to an old castle. From 1791 its water was caught in a wooden fountain, since 1797 in a stone basin in a column pavilion with a dome. Its gloriet had six columns, the roof dome was covered with tin and finished in red paint. The small pavilion, constructed by carpenter Franz Knoll stood right next to Tschamler's house "Zum Schlossbrunn". During the first adaptations carried out around the Castle Spring in 1797, six toilets were built at the wall of the Castle Tower. A modest colonnade was added to the spring in 1799 - 1800, along the road to the Castle Hill. In the same time, twelve new toilets above the Blue Helmet house replaced the original six.
The access to the spring was rather difficult due to its position under the level of the surrounding terrain. There were seven narrow steps to the spring and eleven steps from the spring to the colonnade. There was also a broad stairway of 38 steps leading through a lime-tree alley, built by the City Council. Money from a number of Russian spa visitors and from Count Buquoy's impressive contribution of 400 florins later helped to repair the stairway and improve the access to the spring.
The Castle Spring vanished after the Vřídlo geyser explosion of 1809. In 1812,1813 and 1819 earth works were ordered to re-discover its source, however to no avail. The spring re-appeared by itself in 1823. In 1824 its water was once again analysed by a famous analyst professor Josef Johann Steinmann, who established that the spring was not affected by any quantitative or qualitative change.
In 1830 a sum of 2372 florins and 16 kreuzers was spent to raise a new modern pavilion and a new colonnade above the spring. In 1845 the city bought the obsolete neighbouring house "Zum Schlossbrunn" (no. 432) which had blocked further development of the site and had it torn down. This enabled to improve the access to the Castle Spring and to embellish its surroundings with an extended colonnade and a park. In 1846 the pavilion and the colonnade received a new roof. In 1849 the existing pavilion was demolished, a larger construction was raised in its place, and the surrounding was paved. A clock was installed in the pavilion, given to the city by baron Rothschild.
The spring water was not only drunk on the site, but also bottled and exported.
It became so popular, that it was prescribed not just to people, but also to ailing pets of the spa visitors. It is said that even Putzi, writer Adalbert Stifter's dog suffering from a cough, had to drink it while accompanying his master in Karlovy Vary during his second stay in 1866. Unfortunately, there are no records as to whether the animal enjoyed the spring water.
The Castle Spring pavilion built in mid-19th century became dilapidated by the end of the century and the City Council had to make plans for its demolition and replacement.
However, it was not before 1911-1913 that the Castle Spring pavilion, inadequate in many respects to the fame of the world renowned spa, was replaced with a new, grandiose fin de siecle colonnade of the Upper and Lower Castle Springs, designed by the Viennese architect Friedrich Ohmann.
The almost hundred-year old architectonic design in a demanding and delicate hydrogeological environment around the Castle Spring (1913-1999), which went through a relatively difficult development, experienced another major change at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries after the new building of Zámecké lázně was raised, harmonically connecting the zone between the Market Colonnade, the Castle Tower and the Castle Spring. The Karlovy Vary based author of the design, ing. Alexander Mikoláš, wisely respected the underlying form of the place, did not disturb it, and proposed an emphatic layout of the new spa building in the shape of an approximate triangle. The natural and spatial allegory of the divine unity and the cosmic harmony between the skies and the Earth was preserved, hopefully to great avail to the Castle Spa and the genius loci of Karlovy Vary in the third millennium.
The space around the Castle Spa in Karlovy Vary is a clear proof that the place has a significant influence on actions within its borders.