Karlovy Vary Region Online - by Stanislav Burachovič

A Brief History of Spa Treatments in Karlovy Vary
The Magic Harp - The Legends of Karlovy Vary Region
Chapters from the History of Boží Dar

 

 

 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF SPA TREATMENTS IN KARLOVY VARY

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.

 

THE MAGIC HARP - THE LEGENDS OF KARLOVY VARY REGION

CONTENT:

The Birth of the West Bohemian Spas
Jan Svatoš
The Discovery of Karlovy Vary
The Fairy of Ohře
The Viper King
On the Origin of Teller´s Houses
The Goblins of Tašovice
The Magic Harp
Angel Hill
The Fall of the Village of Obora
The White Rock
The Founding of Nejdek
The Elf Rock
The Enchanted Count of Loket
The Mysterious Fire
The Fall of the Krudum Castle
Slávek and Mara
The Robber Baron of Wolf Hill
The Legend of Hroznata
The Great Pond
The Enchanted Carriage
The Venecian in Teplička
The Rock of Šemnice

 

The Birth of the West Bohemian Spas

 
Far, far away in the north, there lived an ancient King of dwarfs, and with him his sons and his numerous people. After the order of the gods, the dwarfs' duty was to look after the eternal fire hidden under the ground, which warmed the waters, moderated the winters in those northern parts and protected the land from the rule of ice. The dwarfs fed the fire with special stones that burnt even under the ground. When the flame burst out occasionally above the surface, a volcano emerged.

Countless years ago, the King sent his sons to other lands to light and keep the underground fires. Three of his sons came as far as the banks of the river Ohře, where they found stones they could use for their fires.

The eldest and wisest of the three settled in a deep valley and did just as his father told him: he hid a huge cauldron under the earth to heat the water. Two mighty mountains supported the cauldron preventing it from tipping over and protecting the valley from the bursting flames. The water quickly started to boil. It has simmered, bubbled and spouted until today. The water that spills out of the cauldron and rises through the earth crust has been named the Vřídlo Geyser.

The second son took his company further south and found a suitable place to build his cauldron where the town of Mariánské Lázně stands now. He built the cauldron as his father instructed him, but he just couldn't get the stones to burn and decided to add some sulphur. Now, that was a mistake - a yellow flame flashed high above the cauldron and the sulphur vapours gave the water an unpleasant smell, which it has retained till today.

The third son could not find a good place for a long time. Eventually he arrived to the parts where the town of Františkovy Lázně is today. Although he had only one rock to support his cauldron, he thoughtlessly lit a fire underneath it. As soon as he did, there was a mighty blow. The cauldron tipped over and the water just started pouring out. Even today it keeps pouring in the form of the dozens of mineral springs. After the cauldron tipped over, the air found its way to the fire, the flames shot up through a nearby hill, destroying the dwarfs' underground palace, and blazed for years till the fire stones all burnt out. Since then, the dwarfs must pay for their negligence, live in dark caves and carefully watch all the waters and springs, so that such disaster could not happen again.

 

Jan Svatoš

In the times when the Vohburg family ruled at the Loket Castle, a poor farmer found a crying newborn boy lying between two rocks near the site of today church in Horní Slavkov. He was on his way to the castle for his corvée labour. Overwhelmed with sympathy, he took the boy with him. After his arrival to the castle, he brought the baby before the Margravine Jane and said: „It has been a habit to bring a gift when coming to the castle. On my way here, I found this child and I present it to you as a gift. Please accept it with love and look after it better than his mother had done." The Margravine liked his talk, kept the boy and had him christened with the name Jan. After the farmer who found him, he got the name Svatoš.

Under the wardship of his noble fostress, Jan grew up to a handsome man, more interested in sciences than jousts. He loved solitude and kept wandering through the woods with his mind yearning to discover the substance of all things.

Once he was sitting on the bank of the river Ohře, peering into its darkish waves, when suddenly, a beautiful and dainty fairy emerged from the water, making Jan's eyes forget about the whole world and look only at her. The fairy spoke: „My dear, I know what troubles your heart. You seek to master the world of magic. I shall teach you what you are longing for - but you have to promise me that you shall never marry another woman!"

Svatoš, under the spell of the water fairy's beauty and hoping she could make his dreams come true, accepted the strange offer without a second thought. The fairy kept her promise and introduced Jan to the deepest secrets of the esoteric sciences, and so made him very happy.

A couple of years passed. On his travels, Svatoš met a cute girl and fell in love with her with his whole heart. The promise he made to the water fairy started to weigh on him like a stone. Relying on his mastery in magic, which he hoped to use to break the fairy's power, he decided to arrange a grand wedding. The wedding procession was already in front of the altar, the merry couple were almost saying their „yes", when suddenly the furious fairy emerged from the boiling waters of the river Ohře and cast a curse turning the whole procession into stone: the priest, both lovers, the wedding guests, the musicians and the carriage.

The petrified wedding still stands in the sylvan valley of the river Ohře, between the towns of Karlovy Vary and Loket. People call it Svatoš Rock.

 

The Discovery of Karlovy Vary

The rennaissance doctor Dr. Fabian Sommer, born in Karlovy Vary, was one of the first to describe the oldest legend about the discovery of the town's geyser by the king Charles IV. In his book on the ways of using the spa waters, published in 1571, the story goes like this:

Once upon a time, king Charles IV went hunting in the woods in the hills and valleys, where hot water springs today, for they were rich in game. One of the hounds ran off to chase a deer and fell into a pool where today you can find a hot geyser. The dog started to howl with pain. The hunters rushed to it, convinced it was wounded by the animal. Yet they were suprised at what they found. They pulled the dog out of the pool and then tasted the water that frightened the hound so much.

The event was then reported to the Emperor Charles IV., who took his numerous company and set off to admire the unusual natural wonder. In the presence of his doctors, the wise ruler remarked that such hot water can cure many diseases and is certainly very refreshing and beneficial. Saying so, he tasted the water himself (he is said to have had an ill leg) and found that his condition improved. The Emperor rejoiced over the relief and ordered houses to be raised around the pool and the place to be inhabited. The pool where the Emperor first tried the water is said to have been where Municipal spa was standing and where the City Hall stands today. Near the City Hall, a spring rises, whose water is not gushing out violently and is only lukewarm. The legend tells that many years ago, a throne was chiselled in the rock, where the Emperor used to sit, and was thus called Charles' Throne. But the throne has vanished for the City Hall was built in its place.

After the water healed Charles' leg, the Emperor decided to found a new town there. He was also planning to fortify it with city walls, yet his plans were crossed by other urgent affairs. However, his intention can be still seen in the fragments of fortification walls under the Stag Stone. You can also find crumbling cellar vaults on the Stag Stone hill. The old town residents say that Charles was considering building a castle on the hill, that would protect Karlovy Vary. The name of the town itself carries the memory of Charles IV - it is called Emperor Charles' Spa, or Karlovy Vary.

The abovementioned words I have learnt from elderly citizens of the town and not from any history books. Judge for yourselves. So far, there has been none who could prove otherwise. As far as time is concerned, the springs are said to have been discovered in 1370.

 

The Fairy of Ohře

In the greenish depths of the river Ohře, too deep for human eyes to see, a fairy lives in her castle. Her name is that of the river - Ohře. Each 500 years, at solstice, the unpenetrable depths brighten with a beautiful shine and the secret castle emerges in all its glistening splendour. The playful ripples are all of a sudden full of its glare and you can spot every single grain of sand on the river bottom. The water fills with music and is ablaze with colours just like morning skies with sunrays. This is when the castle can be seen by mortals. Those, who are lucky to cast their eyes on it, live a happy life and can be sure that luck will stick to their posterity for the following 500 years. The fairy sleeps the whole 500 years in her castle, the waves lull her to sleep and protect her. Twelve water nymphs share her fate. She lies on floating pillows of water foam and her long fair hair follow the rythm of the hidden currents. Each 500 years when she wakes up, she looks around wonderingly, waves her hand to open the castle gate, and as if still dreaming emerges from the river depths and steps on the ground. Only once in 500 years is the fairy allowed to do good for the humans. She is given just a short time before the evil powers, who only wish to do harm to people, take over the river again.

Last time the fairy awoke, she walked along the river banks full of compassion for the human fate. The old fishermen huts were gone, the woods were brightened with clearings and blooming meadows and fields rustling with crops stretched over vast areas. And yet - there was so much suffering and poverty! The fairy travelled through the country and helped where help was needed most. All of a sudden she stopped. She remeberd her beloved place, where among deep forests, a hot geyser rose from the ground. She hurried to the well and looked around in astonishement. Splendid houses surrounded the geyeser, and a loud thing with billows of smoke and steam around it was coming from the hill, connecting the town with faraway places. The fairy could not believe her eyes. She used to rest here before - back in the times, when people brought flowers to her and the springs as an offering. She always felt happy when a thankful person laid a simple bunch of violets or bluebells on the offering stone. Now, everything looked different. The Geyser did not rise violently as it used to, and the wild, romantic nature around the original spring had disappeared. Roofs of houses and lookout towers were peeping through the trees even from the highest hills. The fairy was most amazed by the fact that the geyser welled in a magnificent hall where thousands of ailing people gathered, rich and poor, all seeking and finding new vitality in the miraculous Geyser. Moved to tears, the fairy bid farewell to its once favourite place on Earth. Seeing this scale of human suffering, she whispered sympathetically: "May this spring bring you blessing and ease your earthly pains. Each drop of this water child of mine is worth a drop of your blood. Bear this in your minds and keep the Geyser in high esteem for all times to come!"

After these words the fairy waved goodbye with her arm, as if binding everything in her all-encompassing love. Then the waters of river Ohře started boiling, a mighty wave hit the rocks and the river became calm again. The gleam was gone, the water castle returned to the darkness to hide for another 500 years. In its halls, the fairy weeps over the suffering of mankind and hopes in the depths of her soul that next time, when she emerges from the river, she will find a generation living under the sign of happiness, good and peace.

 

The Viper King

 
The sunny southern slopes of Strážiště Hill near Čankov used to be swarming with vipers. People were even forbidden to trespass the boundaries of one corner of the wood, for there was the kingdom of the Viper King, who looked just like other snakes, except for a small golden crown he wore on his head. Anyone who would take it from him would become rich and powerful. Many had tried to steal the gem, but all had failed.

Once a peasant from the village of Čankov happened to watch the Viper King take a bath in a pond. Before immersing in the water, the King took off his crown and laid it on a white stone on the beach. The peasant boasted about his story all around the country, and so it happened that it reached the ears of the knight residing at a nearby castle. The knight decided to get hold of the crown at any cost. He rode his horse to the pond, left it to graze and hid in the bushes next to the white stone. He waited for hours. Finally, at midnight, the king arrived with a numerous entourage. First, he took off his crown and then led all the vipers to the pond. As soon as the vipers dived in the cool water of the pond, the knight grabbed the crown, jumped on his horse and galloped to the castle. When the Viper King noticed the heist, he whistled mightily. At the very moment, hundreds of vipers crept out of the bushes and from under the stones and followed the mischiveous rider. He already believed that his horses's speed would save him, when he felt a sharp bite in the back of his neck. In horrible pain he fell off his horse and died. There was a large black viper hidden in the tail of the horse, which then slithered to the knight's neck and bit. As he was falling, the crown slipped from the knight's hand. One of the following vipers quickly snapped it and took it back to the king.

The servants had to leave the knight's castle, for so many vipers sneaked in that nobody would be safe to stay.

 

On the Origin of Teller's Houses

Back in the days when drifts and paddy-fields along the river Rolava were rich in tin, the Nejdek Count's favourite horse got afflicted with an unknown disease. Famous doctors were summoned from far away countries, yet all their efforts proved fruitless. When it was almost sure that nothing could save the beast, a mysterious stranger named Teller offered his services to the Count, promising to heal the horse. He delivered on his promise and won the favour of the Nejdek lord. The magical doctor received a generous reward and was allowed to pick a piece of land and build his house in the Nejdek county. Thus the first house was built in the middle of the woods north of the village of Oldřichov. The hamlet was then called Teller's Houses and was known under that name till 1945, when the name was changed to Chaloupky (Little Houses).

The miraculous doctor wielded numerous magical powers. He lived on the proceeds from his modest estate and partially on what he earned from his secretive trade. The neighbours used to tell many stories about his tricks. He was said to have the power to freeze people in whatever they were doing until he released them with a magic formula. He often did so to punish thieves. He always knew in advance when enemies were coming to Nejdek. On many occasions he would let them come right to the castle and then petrify them. Then, at his command, the raiders turned and stampeded away. A few times his supernatural skills helped to save Nejdek from hostile raids.

Shortly before his death he burnt all his magic books, so that nobody could use them to do wrong to other people.

 

The Goblins of Tašovice

Once upon a time, a peasant woman from the village of Tašovice set out to the forest to collect some wood. After many a long hours, she filled her pannier and started walking home with her large and heavy load. When she was passing the Tašovice Rock, a small grey manikin cropped up in front of her on a rock where she often used to rest. He asked the woman to follow him. Feeling puzzled she followed the goblin to the inside of the mountain that opened before him like a gate.

In the cave, the goblin asked the woman to cook something to eat for him and his people. By that time, she had given up wondering, took off her pannier, loaded the stove with the wood she had picked and cooked all the meals the goblins asked. They gathered in crowds from all sides and with gleaming eyes took the meals and carried it away in their bowls and crocks deep into the mountain. When the woman used up all her wood, she asked the Goblin king to let her go. He obliged and led her out of the mountain, thanking her for her good service.

With her pannier empty, the woman returned to her village. However, she just could not recognize the place. Everything looked different. She did not know the villagers, the small lime tree her father had planted in front of her native house had grown into a mighty tree, and strange people were looking out of the windows. When she asked them what they were doing in her room, they just laughed and told her she must be mad. The woman sat down in the porch, and feeling lost, she burst into tears. Suddenly she noticed a glitter in her empty pannier. Suprised, she drew out a twig of gold. This was the end of her misery. She raised so much money for the twig from the goblins that she could buy back her parents' house and had enough left to live happily till the end of her days, so generous had the goblins been in their reward for her cooking.

The research in the old village registry has shown that the woman did not spend a few hours cooking for the goblins, as she thought, but a full 100 years.

 

The Magic Harp

One night a long long time ago, an old tired harpist arrived under the Nejdek Castle. He begged the guards to let him in, so that he could play and find shelter. He was sharply rejected with the words that no strangers are allowed to enter the castle in the night and that he should wait till the morning. So the old man had to find a place to sleep in the woods beneath the dark castle tower. His only property, the harp, he laid next to his head. Overcome with fatigue he was quickly lulled to sleep by the whispers of the playful ripples of the river Rolava. The wood murmured quietly, the valley was filled with peace. As soon as the guard on the tower blew his horn to announce midnight, the nature came back to life. It was the ghost hour. Every night, a graceful Siren used to appear from the woods under the large rock and sang her charming songs. This night, she carefully took the harp from the sleeping musician and accompanied her singing with unspeakably sweet music. The old man saw all this in his dream, in which he reached his hands to this charming vision. The Siren returned the harp after a while and disappeared in the waters of the castle pond. Then the harpist slept soundly till the morning when he was admitted to the castle and asked by the lord and his company to entertain them with his art. He started singing and playing. The noble party fell silent after the first few tones. Even the harpist himself was startled. Melodies of unknown beauty came out of the instrument all by themselves. All of a sudden, there was a thunder and lightings began to cross the skies. It seemed as if the castle was doomed to collapse to the ground. A strong wind swelled up the river, whose waves crashed against the dark rock under the castle and kept rising. Darkness fell. All those in the castle went pale and began shaking with fear. One of the guests turned red with rage, snatched the harp from the old man's hands and -with a curse- threw it out of the window in the foamy waves on the pond. All fell silent. Then alarm signals sounded from the towers and gates. The nobility, still paralysed with fear, chaotically ran for their arms. Yet, it was too late. The castle was conquered by the Schilck army, which had used the moment when the guards were absentmindedly listening to the harpist's music. The army had been waiting for months to conquer the castle of the robber barons. The resistance did not last long and the robbers were partly taken prisoners and partly slaughtered. The harpist paid no attention to the hustle surrounding him, he just stood and gazed in the direction where his harp had disappeared. After the fight, the soldiers gathered around the old man. After a long silence, he started to recount what had happened. He thanked them for his rescue and begged them to find his harp for him, without which he could not live. He tried to describe the fantastic sound it had: „It had a voice as an echo of a better life we can't yet concieve, a voice that soothed the grief of the poor and increased the joy of the happy. But it also had tones that pierced the hearts of the cruel and unjust like glowing steel. Please, do bring my harp back to me!"

The soldiers started plundering the captured robbers' nest. They battered down the castle and only left the tallest tower to stand. Then they emptied the pond to search for the harp, but their efforts were of no avail, the harp could not be found. Then the company set off for its return journey to the Loket Castle. They took the wretched old man with them. His life was coming to an end. Once, during a night's rest, the musician suddenly heard the sweet melody of his harp coming from a distance. The Siren was sitting in the ruins of the Nejdek castle, playing the instrument, and her music flew all the way to the dying man. When the music ceased, the harpist fell to the ground with a happy smile and died peacefully. Then the harp sounded one last time. The rock opened, and the Siren, the heraldess of justice, returned to her castle buried deep in the ground. The rock shut with a clash and retained the shape of the harpist's head.

The path opposite the castle at the foot of the Cross Hill was called the Alley of Laments for centuries as people said you could hear the old man's laments as he was calling for his harp. And it is said that one could also hear dark thundering and the harp's sound coming out of the depth of the mountain at midnights.

 

Angel Hill

Once while hunting, the English king Tristan rescued the life of a small boy whose mother was killed by a bear. The child was named Richard Bear-Paw and was brought up in the king's court together with the royal daugter Albina. When Richard grew up to a handsome young man, he fell in love with Albina, but did not dare to ask for her hand. Instead he talked her into fleeing with him. They arrived to a rocky hill visible from far distance. There, Richard decided to build a castle. Local people soon developed a liking for Albina for she was kind and charitable. She was called an Angel and her castle the Angel Hill. But not even her numerous good deeds could quelch her burning consciousness. She felt guilty and longed for peace with her father, whom she had deserted. Richard however would not listen to her pleas for return and reconsiliation and treated his mistress ever more roughly.

After a long quest and with a help of soothsayers, King Tristan finally discovered the fugitives' hide-away. With a strong army he set off to free his daughter. His spies told him, that Albina had sought reconsilitation for a long time, but Richard would not let her. Angry Tristan and his army laid siege to the castle. When Richard realised he could not keep his fort, he tried to poison his wife with wine, but confused the cups and fell dead to the ground. Albina then had the gates open and went out to repent and meet her father. Tristan forgave her for everything and took his daughter and her children back to England. The castle was then handed to a reliable steward.

 

The Fall of the Village of Obora

Only in old scrolls and legends could you read today that a village called Obora (or Warren) used to stand near the Linhart summer restaurant in the hills over Karlovy Vary. Only ruined walls can be found on the three hills today. The largest ruin is that of the former st. Leonard Church.

The people of Obora used to be far-famed for their wealth and splendid houses. But their wealth and their skills to multiply it were not much good when they lacked kind hearts and love for their neighbours. And they also lacked one important thing - water. Therefore, one day they summoned a council and decided to send for a well driller. Someone recommended a master driller living in a distant town. They sent him a letter, in which they praised his alledged skills but added a touch of a doubt. At the end of the letter, there was an invitation to Obora. The well driller read through the letter a couple of times. He was suprised to find no mention of the reward. But as he felt a little offended by the doubts about his skills, he set out to Obora to prove his reputation. With a skillful eye he found a suitable place and was finished with his work in a mere couple of weeks. The whole village gathered around the new well and praised the good master for the fresh water. The driller was standing there, satisfied but modest. However, none of those who had invited him came to the well. They were holding a council. The well driller went to his shelter, put on his best clothes and decidedly entered the council room and so spoke: „I apologize for arriving uninivited to your honourable Council, but please don't frown upon me. Behold that happy crowd outside cheering over the good water. My work has finished. Praise Him, who has kindly given us such a gift. Now you surely will decide what just reward I deserve for my work."

„Your reward," said one of the Councillors, „can be easily determined. How much did you earn for your last well, the one you drilled in your home town?" The master named the sum.

„Well, you shall earn just as much from us," the Mayor replied. „What is more, to let you see we are no misers, we decided to add to your remuneration. As you know, the well has not been quite finished yet, a lot of stone is left to be excavated. The stone for the sides of the well are ready, but we can also use the rocks you dig out. A friend of ours has offered a sum for the stone that is left. We shall add that sum to what you get from us. Here is your money. The accounts are settled."

As he was listening to this speech, the driller's face reflected the anger growing inside of him. The hall fell silent. Eventually, the indignant driller spoke: „A clever trick you have played on me in that letter, you honorable Council! The Mayor's decision truly shows your hearts, I will take the money to pay for the journey and the time I lost here. But remember! The head of the lowest of all people deserves respect if it has grown grey in honour, free of lies and deception, after a just and righteous life. Yet grey hair shall be heavy when it grows on heads which spent their days inventing frauds and injustices. In the Book of Books you can read an eternal truth: Refusal to pay a wage well deserved calls for revenge!"

„Enough," one of the Council exclaimed, „throw him out!" The Council rose and moved in the driller's direction.

The Master left on his own and soon was safely away, with his modest belongings. But for a long time he could hear the villiage crowd yelling at him.

A few years passed. Then, one stormy autumn night, the skies turned purple - a sign of fire over the village. The morning sun found only burnt ruins, crying women and children and sullen men. A couple of weeks later, enemies invaded the country, spreading suffering, poverty and disease. When peace returned, Obora was desolate and deserted. Today, a thick wood is growing in its place. The church ruins and a small St. Leonard's chapel are the only memories of what Obora once was.

 

The White Rock

In the woods in nearby mountains, between the villages of Pernink and Nové Hamry, there is a remarkable piece of nature's work called the White Rock.

Long years ago, a boy was grazing his herd along the Limnice Creek. On his way he picked a few flowers to embellish his hat. However, he had no idea that among those flowers, there was a magic one which shows the way to hidden treasures. When he came with his herd to the White Rock, he rested for a while, sat down and leaned against the rock. To his amazement, the stone opened and the boy found himself in the middle of a splendid hall full of gold, silver and precious stones. A white-clad lady was sitting before him, holding a shirt on which she always made one stich a year. At her feet, a black poodle dog was lying, not far from a coffer full of gold. The boy fearlessly came closer and laid his hat on the table. The rock fairy rose and said: "Take as much as you can carry, but don't forget the most precious thing of all!" He started filling his pockets with gold and gems and was quickly on his way out, for he thought the lady ment gold. As soon as he got out, the rock shut with a thunder and all the gold disappeared from his pockets. Too late did he realize that he had left his hat with the magic flower inside. He searched for an entrance for hours, with no result. Had he not forgotten the rock-opening flower inside, the spell cast over the white lady could have been broken.

Many people eager to get rich have combed through the Limnice valley, looking for the flower. So far, nobody has found it. The White Rock is said to open on Good Friday. It was also said that a magic pine grows on the rock. If someone made a bucket from its wood, then the first child to be washed in it would later become the libertor of the white lady. According to the legend, the rock is in fact a petrified castle. On Good Friday, an ancient troll comes out and sows strange seed in the forest soil. A year later, next Good Friday, gold is growing around the Rock. Those who pass by at the right moment can pick it and return rich.

 

The Founding of Nejdek

A long time ago, a hunter from the castle of Loket lost his way in the woods in the nearby mountains. He struggled for hours, looking for a path in the unpenetrable wilderness. The night was falling, when on the verge of desperation, he climed a tall fir to have a look which way to take. To his joy and amazement he saw a tall stone tower with a new shingel roof in the valley. Relieved, he set out to the tower. When he came closer, he got more cautious, for it occured to him that this could be a robber's nest. Unseen he sneaked right to the castle where - horrified - he witnessed a murder. A hand-tied man was brought to the top of the tower, stabbed to death and thrown down.

The shattered hunter rushed to the Loket castle, following the stream of the river Rolava, to report about the robbers in the castle lord's woods. Without any ado, the lord sent his soldiers to the tower, ordering them to conquer the keep, tear it down and capture the robbers. The thieves, however, spotted the marching troops in advance and quickly ran away. Their keep was then taken without bloodshed. To make sure that the place does not become a hiding place for criminals and outcasts, the surrounding wood was cleared and a village was founded, called Nejdek (from the German word Neudeck - New Roof). The place from which the hunter first saw the tower was called the Tall Fir and has kept the name till today.

 

The Elf Rock

There is a huge treasure hidden in the Doupov Hills, which had been for years guarded by an elvish nation. The elves were always on good terms with the people and -unseen and often without waiting to be asked- used to help them in their work. A small lunch was all they wanted from the farmers. Then bad times arrived, when farmers started counting their loaves in the ovens and would not give any to the elves. The ancient silence of the woods was further disturbed by the bells of the church in Svatobor. Those were the days when elves decided to leave the place.

One day, the Elf King knocked on the door of the boatman in Dubina and asked him to take his nation cross the river Ohře. The boatman agreed and spent the whole day carrying invisible elves from one bank to the other. When at dusk the King came and paid the good boatman in gold, he also suggested: "If you want to see my people, I can show you!" The boatman happily accepted for he wanted to know how many elves he had transported. So the King called out "Hats off" - and in that moment, the boatman saw that the field above the river was swarming with thousands of elves. A moment later, the king gave out orders and the elves with their heavy loads set off for their march towards the Krušné hory mountains. Since then, nobody has ever seen them again.

In the steep rock rising above the village of Dubina, you can still find little caves, where the elves used to live. These deserted dwellings and entrances to the immense treasures are the only rememberance of the diligent and peaceloving inhabitants of Doupov Hills. The rock is called the Elf Rock.

 

The Enchanted Count of Loket

Many centuries ago, the Count of Vohburg was ruling the land from the Loket castle. He was a man of a tough heart. From his subjects, and especially from people of Robiče, he required large amounts of compulsory labour. Those who refused to work were arrested and tortured in the castle tower. The count had a bell installed above the main gate to summon people for the labour. At the beginning, the bell could be heard only from time to time. But as the count was becoming more and more cruel and greedy, the bell rang ever more often.

One calm Sunday morning, the Loket lord was standing in his gate, watching his subjects walking to the nearby church. That day, a poor widow from Robič was to pay him the tithe. She had no money to pay and was hoping that the strict sovereign would be moved by her pleas, the Sunday mass and the beauty of the young day. With her two young children she stepped forward, fell to her knees and beseeched that he wait for the money. "Your Grace, have mercy with us poor. The father has died and my hands can barely keep us alive!" As she was speaking, the count's face grew sullen as if with stormy clouds. The unfortunate widow once again begged for forbearence and her children, too, raised her hands to plea. The sovereign's heart remained hard and would not be softened by the laments. Full of anger he shouted "Begone you beggars! Either you pay, or you shall be thrown to the tower for ever!" After these words, the woman rose and cried towards the unfeeling count "Be cursed, Vohburg, in this very hour may you be turned to stone!"

There was a thunder and a lightning cut the skies. A loud shriek filled the castle. Vohburg disappeared and in his place, there was a large rock - the enchanted count of Loket.

 

The Mysterious Fire

The following happened in the days, when the mountains echoed with the blith songs of working colliers and with the romantic clapping of water wheels of iron-mills on the river Rolava.

One late evening, a peasant from the village of Nové Hamry was on his way home from a day of grass mowing near Pernink. It was already dark, when all at once he saw a small camp-fire in the wood. Coming closer, he found six men sitting around the fire, silently staring into the flames. He wished them good night and asked them if he could light his pipe with an ember from their fire. They looked up and stared at him without a word. They all had faces of strangers which the peasant had never seen before. As there was no response, he asked a second time. The silence lay unbroken, but it seemed to him that one of the men nodded. The peasant stepped forward, picked two embers from the fire, put it on the tobacco in his pipe, shut the lid and started puffing. He thanked, said good bye and was back on his way home. He was puffing and puffing away but the pipe just would not start. Disappointed, he put it back in his pocket.

At home and after dinner, he started telling his family about the strange meeting. He reached for his pipe to have a good smoke. To his amazement he found two pieces of gold under its lid.

The honest man thought of the whole experience as strange and uncanny. His conscience was reluctant to accept a gift from the dark powers. He could not stop thinking of the gold. To get rid of the gift and to make a good deed, he donated the gold for the embellishment of the local chapel in Nové Hamry.

 

The Fall of the Krudum Castle

Krudum is without any doubt the most impressive, most pictoresque hill in the northern parts of the forest of Slavkovský les, with many myths and legends attached to it. One of the legends tells us that ages ago, a mighty prince's castle stood on its top. Once, his son killed the Count of Sokolov's heir in a quarrel. To repent for his crime, he had to go as a pilgrim to Rome. Only four servants were allowed to accompany him. The pilgrimage turned out to be very long - it was not before twelve years later that the purified man was coming back home. In the deep woods around Planá he suddenly heard sorrowful crying. Cautiously he crawled through the bushes. Behind the trees, he saw about fifteen robbers who just captured a lady of apparently noble parents. Without hesitation, the young prince and his servants rushed to attack the villains. The travellers fought couragously and in a moment several robbers were killed and the rest was on the run. The freed girl thanked her saviour and said: „I am the daughter of the Count of Sokolov. My father shall reward you generously for your noble act." Without saying who he was, he accompanied her home and felt satisfaction that he was able to compensate at least paritally for his old crime. After that, he returned to his castle. From the old castellan he learnt that his father had passed away eight years before his return. Desperate with grief, he summoned his servants and they all set off to a nearby St. Nicholas Monastery, where the Krudum princes had their family tomb. When the monks refused to show him his father's body, he broke down the gate and rushed into the tomb. He did find his deceased father. Yet he was horrified to see that the old prince did not die of natural causes. His blackened face indicated that he was poisoned.

Overfilled with rage and dying for revenge, the young Krudum lord returned to his castle. In its underground vaults he hid all the gold, money and jewells he had. Then he invited all his neighbours and their servants to a grand celebration of his return home from Rome. When, in the evening, everybody gathered in the banquet hall and the festivity was at its height, the prince shut the castle gate, locked it and set the castle on fire so that nobody could escape. The whole castle burnt to the ground, with all the guests inside. The same night the avenger set fire to the monastery, where his deceased father lay.

After that night, nobody has ever again heard of the vengenceful son of the Krudum prince, who had taken such a horrible revenge for his father's murder. One stormy night, the ruins of Krudum castle were devoured by the earth, with all the gold hidden in the cellars. Since that night, Krudum has been said to be haunted. The treasures can be retrieved only on a Good Friday.

 

Slávek and Mara

At the dawn of the eleventh century, a powerful lord was ruling the area from the Loket Castle. His subjects included many of the lesser nobility and numerous devoted servants. Among them, there was Slávek, a strong handsome man, who had won his lord's favour. Slávek was guarding the outer castle gates. He was in love with Mara, the castle's black smith's daughter. The lovers met secretly as often as Slávek's duties allowed.

One day, the count and his company went hunting in the woods around the castle. After their departure, Slávek had the draw-bridge raised and locked all the gates carefully. He knew that the count always came back from hunting late at night, and so he deserted his post at the gate and ran to his Mara, who had been already waiting from him. The time passed quickly. Slávek even did not notice the calls and signals that he should open the gate for the hunting party. It was Mara who heard the count demanding entry to the castle. When Slávek eventually opened, his master was in a chafe. Slávek begged for forgivenness confessing to his love to Mara. The Count did forgive him, but at the same time stated that a guard in love is of little use to him, for love often leads to negligence. Yet, because Slávek had been a true and loyal servant for years, whose only offence was love, the count suggested: „Today during the chase, I came to a suitable place in a mountain valley, where I intend to build a keep to defend my land against robbers and foreign and local enemies. The keep shall be guarded with and armed garrison, and you, Slávek, shall be its commander. What is more, you can take your Mara with you, so that you do not have to live there alone. I am sure that I can rely on your good service in the future!"

Slávek thankfully fell to his knees and thanked the count for his kindness. All that was planned was done. The new place in the woods was called NEJDEK. Slávek lived there with Mara by his side for long years, and after his death, he was buried in the castle tower vaults, just as he had wished.

 

The Robber Baron of Wolf Hill

A long time ago, a much feared robber baron used to live in the deep woods of Vlčinec, or Wolf Hill. His crimes scared people from far around. Poor those, who were caught by the baron in his forest realm. Even the ones who managed to escape his pack of wild hounds only rarely escaped the baron's sword.

At that time in the village of Hroznětín, a young boy's mother fell seriously ill. The doctor gave up all hopes for recovery. But he told the boy: „There is a noble herb growing on the Wolf Hill, which might heal your mother. None, however, dare to pick it, for it grows where the robber baron's hounds have their lair."

Determined to help his mother, the boy overcame his fear and went to the Wolf Hill to search for the magic herb. Quietly and cautiously he made his way through pathless forest slopes and luckily found the longed-for herbs at a hidden clearing. He filled his basket with their leaves and spread their juices over his face, arms and the whole body to confuse the baron's dogs. Alas, it was too late. The pack has smelled the boy already, and was approaching him with loud barking. The boy grabbed his basket and ran like wind from the steep slope. The dogs were faster. They caught him, started sniffing, but would not do him any harm. Then, the baron on his horse appeared on the rock high above. He shouted at the dogs with his coarse voice to rip the boy to pieces. When he saw the pack friendly licking the child's face, he spurred his horse, raised his sword to a deadly blow. The boy was quick and crouched, sneaking behind a thick tree trunk. The baron, purple with rage, sharply pulled at the horse reins to stop it. The beast stumbled, fell over a root, the villain was shot out of the saddle, and after a long fall broke his neck against an old spruce. The bodies of the baron and the poor horse then rolled to the dark valley below.

The saved boy returned home, the brew made of the herbs really helped his mother and she quickly recovered. She was very proud of her little son's brave deed. It was for her life and health that he dared to face the dreadful baron! All locals then kept the boy in high esteem for his brains and courage, that helped his mother and liberated the Wolf Hill surroundings from the cruel opressor.

 

The Legend of Hroznata

Hroznata was born in a prominent Czech noble family with extensive possesions in Western Bohemia. His very birth was miraculous. He was born dead. His desperate mother in tears beseeched Heaven to bring the baby to life. Her plea was answered. A strange favourable fate miracously saved Hroznata's life on two occasions in his early childhood. Once he was ran over by wheels of a heavy cart, another time he fell into a deep torrent. In both cases, a beautiful lady lit by bright rays appeared before him, holding a protective hand above his head, and saved him from certain death. When he grew up, thankful Hroznata founded the Teplá monastery and donated all his possesions to the order. He became a member of the order himself.

He attended the large monasterial estate, looking after its prosperous business. Once the abbot commissioned him to inspect the farms in Hroznětín, which also belonged to the monastery. Hroznata chose a companion from among the monks and they set off for the journey. The Hroznětín estate was his favourite. They had a mere hour to go, when the two were seized by a robber baron, a sworn enemy of the monastery. The place of the hold-up was then called Hroznice, which later changed to Rosnice.

The baron took his captives to his castle Kynšperk /today Starý Hroznatov/ and demanded heavy ransom from the monastery. The monks collected the sum, although it was very high. But Hroznata sent them a message not to pay anything. He didn't want the monastery to sacrifice so much because of him. The baron took his revenge, torturing his captive. As a result of the tortures, Hroznata died on 14 July 1217 in his cell. His fellow prisoner set his mind on escape. One night, the dungeon cell filled with bright light. Hroznata in a white attire appeared. He moved his hand and the gyves fell off the prisoner. The door opened and the monk was able to freely return to the monastery to report about Hroznata's horrible martyr death.

Hroznata's body was taken from Kynšperk to Teplá and buried in the monastery church, where it has been lying under a splendid tombstone till today.

The robber baron grew more and more gloomy by the day, joys of life deserted him altogether. In the end he disappeared without a trace and nobody heard of him anymore.

 

The Great Pond

Many centuries ago, a Saxon aristocrat caused the death of a man. He was brought to court to be punished. When the judge declared that he should face death sentence, the offender fell to the ground and cried out loud „To die so young! There are so many things I wanted to achieve!"

The jury took the exclamation for his last wish and allowed him a certain time to achieve something important.

The convict spent a long time searching for a suitable opportunity. The set time had almost elapsed. While searching, he also came to the village of Hroznětín. There he realized, that a large pond could be built in the valley with just a short and tall dam. Without hesitation he started working. His work was progressing well. To speed up the filling of the pond, he added a brook bringing the water as far as to Odeř.

The court declared the pond a great and useful deed. The aristocrat was given life and his honour was restored. The pond was called Velký rybník, or Great Pond. A small village of the same name was built on its west bank.

The Enchanted Carriage

About a quarter of an hour from Nové Hamry on the way to Jelení, there is a spectacular rock standing on a small clearing near the road. The local folks used to call it „the Enchanted Carriage". The legend goes like this:

Years ago, when the wide and comfortable roads were still non-existent and only marshy paths led through the woods, a two-horse fully loaded carriage was on its way from Jelení to Nové Hamry. It was pouring with rain, the road was sodden and the carriage was floundering through the mud. The horses were exhausted and were proceedig at the slowest pace. The cartman flogged them, eager to reach his destination before dusk. Inevitably, there came the moment when the beasts just could not go on. The cartman cursed and began beating the horses violently. As he was shouting out one of his crude curses there was a clap of thunder. The cartman and the horses disappeared. Just the carriage with wardrobes, blankets and chests stood there, turned into stone, including one of the chests, that the cartman lost on his way near the turning to Chaloupky, was petrified. Even today you can find the keyhole in the block of stone.

The bizzare rock has been standing in the place for ages as a sign of the sylvan Gods' revenge for the shameless disturbance of their peace by Man. 

 

The Venecian in Teplička

A few centuries ago in the village of Teplička, there lived a modest husband with his unpretentious wife. One day, a Venecian entered their house, asking for shelter. He was warmly received. The couple was very friendly towards the stranger, though they were a bit afraid of his esoteric appearance. Their worries later vanished when they saw him praying devotely every night. The Venecian spent days wandering in the nearby hills, where he explored hidden places, which he must have known before. Soon he discovered valuable treasures in the forests. Even then he did not give up his unusual business. A few years passed without the couple getting to know what the stranger was doing. One day, the Venecian returned to his room with a sullen face. He wouldn't answer the couple's questions on the cause, remaining silent and closed. The next day he came to their room with his luggage packed to say good bye. „Thank you for the long years of hospitality you kindly extended to me. Now I shall be on my way to my homeland. To remember me, please accept these grey balls and keep them in a safe place. Should poverty strike your house, go to Karlovy Vary and sell them to the goldsmith. I am sure you will be helped." Saying this, the Venecian disappeared.

Many years came and passed into oblivion. The couple in Teplička grew old and found their joy in the plentitude of grandchildren. At that time, their luck deserted them and the fate began to scourge them with cruel blows. A violent hailstorm washed away all their crops, and to make things worse, their little house burnt to the ground with all their belongings. All they could save were their lives. In their deepest despair, the old woman remembered the Venecian's gift, which they had taken and hidden in their wardrobe and forgotten about. They searched the ruins for a moment and found the balls intact under the collapsed chimney. How happy the old couple was and how they praised their benefactor when the goldsmith paid them an unexpected fortune. A new neat house was soon built in the place of the old one and its inhabitants thankfully remembered the strange Venecian till the end of their lives.

 

The Rock of Šemnice

A mere hundred years ago, the rock was called Virgin's Leap. The peculiar name is explained in a legend:

In the medieval times, a cruel lord reigned from the Angel Hill, terrorizing his subjects and passing merchants. One day he set his eyes on the daugher of one of his subjects and ordered for her to be sent to the castle. The girl was so frightened that she escaped to the woods and lived on the roots and berries she could find, sleeping in a small cave to protect herself from the capricious weather. The lord was enraged. He had her father arrested and thrown in the deepest of his prison dungenos until his daughter comes to the castle. Had the girl known that her father was imprisoned, surely she would have sacrificed herself to save him. But as she was living in complete isolation, she did not know what had happened.

She had been in the wood for a few weeks. A cold autumn wind started to sough through the spruce branches. One day, when she was picking wood to heat her cave, she heard a horn blow from close behind. It was the lord who went hunting with his suite. Frightened to death she ran for shelter to her cave. Alas, it was too late: the lord had already spotted her, spurred his horse and set out to chase her. The thick forest helped the girl evade the rider, she was quick in slipping through the labyrinth of branches, where the horse with a rider had troubles to find their way. She made it to the top of the rock - where she had to stop for there was a cliff sinking down some 150 meters. Soon, her pursuer reached the ridge. When he saw his prey had nowhere to go, he burst into a vicious roar. The unfortunate girl fell to her knees, begging the heaven for help and then threw herself off the cliff, landing on a small rock ledge a few meters below. There she crouched down and clinged to a small bush. The baron, confused by the sudden disappearance of the girl, gave out a shriek and spurred his horse so violently, that the startled beast shot ahead. Too late did the brute try to hold it back. The horse and the rider leaped over the girl's head, plunged into the abyss below and crashed to their deaths. The whole land was freed from the hated oppressor.

The girl returned home and then with her father, had a tall cross raised on the top of the rock, where she found courage for the saving leap.

 

 

Chapters from the history of Boží Dar

Silver and tin mining in the Boží Dar area

There is a clear connection between silver and tin mining in Boží Dar and founding the town. The area where Boží Dar was later to rise belonged until 1424 to the Czech squires of Tetov. After Jiří Vilém of Tetov died, the area devolved to Jiří of Poděbrady, who passed it on to the Saxon elector Albrecht as a wedding gift for his daughter Zdenka. Therefore, the Boží Dar area became part of the Saxon dominion of Schwarzenberg. In 1528, rich silver ore deposits were discovered in the region. Therefore, a year later - on May 13, 1529 - the Saxon elector Johann Friedrich proclaimed the freedom of mining for the region north of Jachymov. In 1534, Boží Dar was given a mining code. The rapid development in mining brought about numerous disputes over where exactly the state border lies between Bohemia and Saxony. The region became part of Elector Johann Friedrich's property in 1533 based on the agreement with the inheritors of the esquires of Tetov. In the same year, construction of Boží Dar started from the initiative of Schneeberg miners, according to a given overall building plan. The story goes that initially, the new municipality was called Wintersgrün. The name Boží Dar („Godsend" in Czech) is supposed to originate from words of Elector Johann Friedrich, who, at his visit to Boží Dar in 1546, was offered by miners a silver seat to have some rest on. The sovereign refused it by saying: „This fine ore is your bread, your godsend."

The primary way of mining silver and tin was surface mining of the reefs and panning in the sediments of streams. Along the Černá stream, west of Boží Dar, are preserved many remnants of past panning. After exhausting easily accessible primary deposits, miners started underground exploitation by running drifts and shafts. Extracted ores were processed in grinders, mills, smelt-houses and iron-mills. The mine of St. Lawrence was the richest silver shaft in Boží Dar in about 1540. The exports of refined silver ore and tin ore from so-called forest tin mines in the Boží Dar, Horní Blatná, Pernink, Abertamy and Hřebečná areas were significant in the 16th century. Tin from the Ore Mountains used to be traded all over Europe.

Besides silver and tin, also iron, cobalt and bismuth ores were mined in the Boží Dar area. In 1561, several gold grains were found here, which were handed over to the king. The significance of Boží Dar mining started to decline by the end of the 16th century. Local mining suffered considerable loss when Lutheran miners and mine entrepreneurs were made to emigrate to Saxony after 1624. Tin mining went on, though in very low quantities, until early 19th century and it ceased entirely in 1820.

 

Founding and development of Boží Dar

The charter of Boží Dar was given to it on June 6, 1546 by the Saxon elector Johann Friedrich in the form of privilege of free mining town. It allowed the town's inhabitants to mine silver and tin, to found a parish church, to trade freely, to profess crafts and to hold weekly and annual markets. This crucial town privilege was acknowledged in Prague on July 25, 1608 by the Roman emperor and Czech king Rudolph II, who also granted the town the rights of town court, of salt trade and of brewing. Five years later (January 3, 1613), these privileges were also confirmed in Vienna by the Roman emperor and Czech king Matthias II. The parchment originals of all these three documents are nowadays stored in the State District Archive in Karlovy Vary.

In 1546-47, Boží Dar became part of the Czech Crown Lands. After that, there were still disputes over the border areas but these were once for all over when so-called Schneeberg Agreement was signed on October 26, 1556 between the Czech kingdom and the Saxon electorate. The agreement outlined the exact borderline between the two countries and in summer 1558, border stones were laid.

The boom of mining in Boží Dar hit its peak in 1550s and 1560s, when the town's inhabitants totaled over 2000.

In 1580, King Rudolph II raised the status of the town to „royal mining town".

During the Thirty-year War, Boží Dar was left open to sacking and violence. In 1643 the Swedes plundered it.

After mining declined in the 17th and 18th centuries, this lively center of mining gradually transformed into a quiet mountain town whose inhabitants earned their living doing various domestic manufacturing. Around 1800, Boží Dar had almost 1400 inhabitants and about 200 houses.

During WW1, 88 men from Boží Dar died. To honor them, a memorial was raised on the square in 1925.

After WW1, Boží Dar became a popular summer destination as well as a center of winter sports.

 

Boží Dar as a center of winter sports and tourism

Already since the end of the 19th century, Boží Dar, the only town in Central Europe situated this much upland, has been a favorite center of winter sports. First skiers discovered local convenient terrain in winter 1890. They were young Norwegians studying in Mitweid in Saxony. They had founded the skiing tradition in Boží Dar. In 1901, the Austria Skiing Club came into existence here, first of its kind in the Ore Mountains.

Klínovec, the highest (1244 m) summit in the Ore Mountains had been the major trip destination and sight of the whole area since early 19th century. The number of its visitors raised substantially after the lookout tower was built in 1884. More and more visitors both from the Czech and German side of the border would come here. Also spa guests from Karlovy Vary would for a trip to Klínovec. Building the Klínovec lookout tower by Jáchymov's The Ore Mountains Society started the tradition of local tourism. As the summer and winter tourism developed, more and more restaurants and hotels were gradually started in Boží Dar. Among the favorite ones before 1945 were these restaurants and hotels: Zeleny dum, Hieke, so-called Naturfreundehaus, Zur Höhenluft, Oppel, Wunderblume and others. The number of visitors in Boží Dar also went up after the radioactive spa in Jachymov was founded in 1906. Boží Dar and The Klínovec Area Foreign Travel Society founded in 1930 and Upper Ore Mountains Winter Sports Society (Obererzgebirger Wintersportverein) are largely credited for having promoted Boží Dar as a tourist destination. There was a new downhill run and ski jump complex in Klínovec in 1922, which became an important base for winter sports. The tourist industry around 1930 surged after new regular bus service lines were established between Boží Dar, Jachymov and Karlovy Vary. The most memorable pub and hotel in Boží Dar is Zelený dům ("Green House"), one of the oldest buildings in Boží Dar, built in the former part of the 16th century.

In the hotel's lobby, there is a mural of Johann Friedrich, the Saxon elector, being welcomed to Boží Dar. In 1542, the reformer Martin Luther stayed overnight in Zelený dům on his way from Wittenberg to Jachymov. There is a commemorative inscription dedicated to this event.

For over 70 years, Neklid ("Unrest"), Klínovec's shoulder with several ski runs, tows and a parking area, has been the main ski ground in Boží Dar.

In more recent decades, the opening of a border crossing with East Germany in 1971, and, in particular, the fact that the borders were completely opened after 1989 both contributed to the development of Boží Dar as a winter destination.

After 1990, extensive technical modernization of the ski grounds and its facilities was carried out in the Boží Dar area, bike paths and several information centers were built. There is a prominent establishment of the Czech Mountain Rescue Service in Boží Dar.

 

Art historical sights in Boží Dar

Only a few buildings of the old built-up area survived, as the great fire on May 4, 1808 destroyed most of the houses. A total of 104 houses, including the old town hall, the vicarage and the school, burnt down. The parish church of St. Anna is the dominant and the most important sight in Boží Dar. It was built in 1771 according to a project by Philip Heger on a site where a Renaissance church had been since 1593. There is an art historic jewel in the church - an octagonal tin font of 1612, made by Leonhard Dürr, a tinner from Jáchymov. It is decorated with a masterly embossing containing the motifs of the seven free arts. The second most important building in the town is the classicist town hall built in 1845 on a site where an older building had been.

Next to the Zelený dům hotel, there is a column commemorating Franz Wilhelm Tippmann, a local vicar and later a suffraqan bishop in Prague. Thanks to him a hospital for the poor was built in Boží Dar. Timmpann's memorial was unveiled in 1888.

Among the Baroque sights, the statue of St. John Nepomuk of 1707 is particularly noteworthy. On the square close to the town hall, there is a monument of Anton Günther, The Ore Mountains' singer and a native of Boží Dar. The modern sculpture of a famous Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis is to commemorate his stay in Boží Dar in 1929-32.

 

Boží Dar Peat Moor

There is an unwonted native locality in Boží Dar - the state reservation Boží Dar Peat Moor (929.57 hectares or 2,296 acres). It obtained the status of conservation area in 1965. In 1972, a 3.2-km nature trail with 12 stops was created, acquainting visitors in detail with the most precious botanical, faunal and historical features of the peat moor ecosystem. A botanical curio of the peat moor is the dwarf birch (in Latin: Betula nana), a glacial relict (a vestige from the Ice Age). In large areas of dwarf pine, one can find - besides other scarce and endangered plant species - the carnivorous sundew (Drosera rotundifolia).

The turf had been dug here since the 18th century and used, after being dried, for heating.

The peat moor is dominated by Boží Dar Špičák (1115 m), the highest basalt mound of volcanic origin in Central Europe, abundant with tales about a miraculous flower growing there. A favorite restaurant was named after it; earlier located at the foot of the peak "Wunderblume", i.e. the miraculous flower, and it does not exist any more.

 

Anton Günther

The best-known native of Boží Dar was the popular songster Anton Günther (June 5,1876-April 29, 1937). The Ore Mountains patriotism and admiration of its natural sights motivated most of the songs he wrote. Not only did he write songs; he also sang them with the guitar, the violin or the accordion. He used his own money to print his songs together with illustrations on special postcards. While he was still alive, dozens of song books, notes and lyrics collections were published with his work.

Originally, Anton Günther wanted to study forestry, however that was not possible because his parents were poor. He started to be trained in lithography in Annaberg. He received his vocational certificate from A. Haase's printing house in Prague. Though offered a lucrative job in Denmark, Anton Günther went back home to Boží Dar. During W.W.I, the already well-known songster was seriously injured on the Italian front. After he came home from the military hospital, he was never to leave Boží Dar again in his lifetime. Until the end of his days, he lived a simple life in his modest house, earning his regular living and singing to get some extra money. He ended his life by his own hand, the motives for his suicide never being quite clear. Dr. Gerhard Heilfurth became his autobiographer, publishing a monograph about him with the texts of all his songs in 1937. There have been nine editions of the book already, the last one in 1994.

Günther's songs became very popular in the Ore Mountains, being the spiritual property of several generations of the German inhabitants. Here are a few names of his very popular songs randomly chosen: Greeting to the Ore Mountains, March of the Skiers, Home is Home, The Forest is Falling Asleep, The Blueberry Song, Don't forget Your Home, When the Work Is Done, etc.

Anton Günther's grave, with his embossment by Hermann Ros, is a Boží Dar pilgrimage destination that has been visited for decades by numerous fans of Günther's work.

 

Nikos Kazantzakis

The famous Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis (1883-1957) was the person with years-long ties to Boží Dar most famous worldwide. He came to Boží Dar on advice of the Czech journalist and writer Egon Ervin Kisch in order to work in tranquility on his two books of reportage and film scripts. Kazantzakis stayed in Boží Dar twice. The first time from May 10, 1929 till April 9, 1930, the second time he came in late June 1931 and left on May 31, 1932. He resided in the Myslivny colony close to the road between Boží Dar and Horní Blatná. He rented two rooms in the house of Mr. Filip Kraus. There, the Greek writer found tranquility needed for his work. Boží Dar provided him with solitude he needed. He loved strolling in the plains around and he used to go shopping 2 km away to Boží Dar. Kazantzakis loved solitude. He said once: "I wish I could live every nine months in absolute solitude and the remaining three months traveling. That's exactly what I need. Being in contact with people, socializing and activity don't inspire me; for me, they're useless and depressive. A lot of solitude, hectic travels and solitude again - that's my rhythm." Boží Dar was an ideal place for Nikos Kazantzakis: it calmed down his mind and the mountain countryside brought him creative inspiration. This was reflected in his later works.

 

Christmas in the Ore Mountains

Winters in the Ore Mountains used to be full of snow, long and also distressful. The main event there, both custom-wise and church-wise, was the Christmas. The proximity of Saxony can be felt in Boží Dar through many Christmas customs artifacts adopted from behind the Saxon border. Boží Dar households would be decorated with crèches, moving models of mines, arched candlesticks, nut crackers in the form of male figures, smoking male figures with aromatic pastilles and particularly a big amount of wooden engraved figures. Those could be bought particularly on the Saxon side of the mountains where they would be favorite goods on the Christmas markets.

Boží Dar woodcutters and carpenters made local specials - wooden crosses made of hundreds of little pieces.

Among the main parts and symbols of Christmas were a crèche, a decorated spruce, a festive dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas box with Father Christmas called "Little Jesus" in Czech.

The Christmas-Eve dinner in the Ore Mountains' poor households used to be much more modest than in the Karlovy Vary foothills regions. It consisted of soup, a fried fish and a piece of either the Christmas cake or strudel. Buns dipped in hot milk and mushroom sauce with potato dumplings would also be eaten at this time.

 

Home manufacture and trades

After mining ceased here, the Ore Mountains inhabitants had to search for new sources of income. Already by the end of the 16th century and particularly after the Thirty-year War some specific home manufactures appeared in the mountains. Most important in the region between Kraslice and Boží Dar was making bobbin lace, adopted from Annaberg in Saxony as early as 1561.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, folk-musicianship was an important trade. Local wandering musicians went around all Europe, would play in small wandering groups or spa orchestras in Karlovy Vary, Teplice and elsewhere. Boží Dar musicians were known as "Fatzer". They would sometimes travel long distances to earn their living, well-known are their trips to Frankfurt, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Turkey and elsewhere. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Anton Günther went on with this tradition of folk-musicianship.

In the 19th century, gloves and stockings were sown and paper cartons made in Boží Dar.

Making bobbin lace, needlework, timbering, mushroom and wild-berry picking and selling (blueberries, cranberries), carrying trade, turf digging, cross-border smuggling and box making were common in Boží Dar up till 1945.

In the Wunderblume restaurant, no longer existing, at the foot of Boží Dar Spicak peak, there was an exhibition of a unique series of paintings by Gustav Zindel, that depicted many typical Boží Dar occupations, e.g. mowing, cutting down trees, making bobbin lace, turf digging, blueberry picking, carrying trade and wood carving.