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Karlovy Vary

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For other uses, see Karlsbad (disambiguation).

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A geyser in Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary
The Grandhotel Pupp

Karlovy Vary or Carlsbad (Czech pronunciation: [ˈkarlovɪ ˈvarɪ] ⓘ; German: Karlsbad, Russian: Карловы Вары) is a spa town situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately 130 km (81 mi) west of Prague (Praha). It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370. It is historically famous for its hot springs (13 main springs, about 300 smaller springs, and the warm-water Teplá River). It is the most visited spa town in the Czech Republic.[1]

History

The first Celtic settlers came there before the Middle Ages.

Around 1350 Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and Czech king during his stay in Loket organized an expedition into the surrounding forests, where on the site of the alleged spring established a spa called Horké Lázně u Lokte (Hot Spas at Loket). Place was subsequently renamed after him, according to legend after he had acclaimed the healing power of the hot springs. Charles IV. on 14 August 1370 gave the city privileges. Earlier settlements can be also found in the outskirts of today's city.

Due to publications by doctors such as David Becher and Josef von Löschner, the city developed into a famous spa resort, and was visited by many members of European aristocracy. It became more popular after the railway lines to Eger (Cheb) and Prague were completed in 1870.

The Carlsbad Decrees of 1819 introduced in the city, implemented antiliberal censorship within the German Confederation.

The number of visitors rose from 134 families in the 1756 season to 26,000 guests annually at the end of the 19th century. By 1911, that figure had reached 71,000, but World War I put an end to tourism and also led to the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire by late 1918.

The large German-speaking population of Bohemia was incorporated into the new state of Czechoslovakia in accordance with the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. As a result, the German-speaking majority of Carlsbad protested. A demonstration on 4 March 1919 passed peacefully, but later that month, six demonstrators were killed by Czech troops after a demonstration turned unruly.[2]

In 1938, the Sudetenland, including Carlsbad, became part of Nazi Germany according to the terms of the Munich Agreement. After World War II, in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement, the vast majority of the people of Carlsbad were forcibly expelled from the city because of their German ethnicity. In accordance with the Beneš decrees, their property was confiscated without compensation.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of Communist rule in the Czech Republic, there has been a steady increase of the Russian business presence in Karlovy Vary.

A significant portion of the spa/historic section of Karlovy Vary is shown. Major sites in photo, from left to right, are: The dark grey, socialist-era Thermal Spring Colonnade (also called Hot Spring Colonnade or Sprudel) features a glass chimney. Directly above it sits the twin-steeple Church of St. Mary Magdalene. The large, stately building on the center hill is the Hotel Imperial. Below it, to the right of the square, is the Opera House. The Grandhotel Pupp is the large white building to the far right.

Population

In 2012 the percentage of foreigners in the population of the Karlovy Vary region was around seven percent. After Prague this is the highest proportion in the country. The largest group of foreigners were Vietnamese, followed by Germans, Russians and Ukrainians.[3]

Year 1930 1939 1947 1991 2001 2003 2008 2013 2014
Population 54,652 53,339 31,322 56,291 53,857 52,359 53,708 53,737 49,864

Transport

Local buses and cable cars take passengers to most areas of the city. The city can be reached from other locations by inter-city buses and by train. The city is connected by expressway R6. International Karlovy Vary Airport is located 4.5 km south-east from the city, at the nearby village of Olšová Vrata.

Churches

Church of St. Mary Magdalene
Orthodox Church of Saints Peter and Paul
Entry to 47th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Mill Colonnade

Culture

In the 19th century, it became a popular tourist destination, especially known for international celebrities visiting for spa treatment. The city is also known for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, which is one of the oldest in the world and has become one of Europe's major film events. And also for the popular Czech liqueur Becherovka. The glass manufacturer Moser Glass is located in Karlovy Vary. The famous Karlovarské oplatky (Carlsbad spa wafers) originated in the city in 1867. The city has also given its name to the delicacy known as "Carlsbad plums". These plums (usually quetsch) are candied in hot syrup, then halved and stuffed into dried damsons; this gives them a very intense flavour.

The city has been used as the location for a number of film-shoots, including the 2006 films Last Holiday and box-office hit Casino Royale, both of which used the city's Grandhotel Pupp in different guises.

People

Native

See also: Category:People from Karlovy Vary

Notable people associated with Karlovy Vary

City guide

Accommodation

  • Grandhotel Pupp
  • Hotel Romance Puškin[8]
  • Hotel Imperial[9]
  • Spa Resort Sanssouci[10]
  • Hotel Thermal
  • Hotel Kolonada
  • Richmond
  • Bristol
  • Krivan
  • Hotel Ulrika[11]

Surroundings and leisure time

  • Trips in the surrounding countryside[12]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Karlovy Vary.
  • Outdoor pool with mineral water in winter
    Outdoor pool with mineral water in winter
  • Vřídelní street, above sets of Jeanna de Carro
    Vřídelní street, above sets of Jeanna de Carro
  • Area over Vřídelní street
    Area over Vřídelní street
  • Aerial View of Karlovy Vary
    Aerial View of Karlovy Vary
  • Street view of Karlovy Vary
    Street view of Karlovy Vary
  • Karlovy Vary Airport
    Karlovy Vary Airport
  • City Opera House of Karlovy Vary
    City Opera House of Karlovy Vary
  • A bottle of Becherovka
    A bottle of Becherovka
  • Park Colonnade
    Park Colonnade
  • Plaque indicating the building where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk resided while in Karlovy Vary
    Plaque indicating the building where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk resided while in Karlovy Vary

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic

Carlsbad, New Mexico, USA[13] (after which Carlsbad Caverns National Park is named), Carlsbad, California, USA [14] Carlsbad Springs, Ontario, Canada, and Carlsbad, Texas, USA, take their names from Karlovy Vary's English name, Carlsbad. All of these places were so named because they were the sites of mineral springs or natural sources of mineral water.

Twin towns – Sister cities

Karlovy Vary is twinned with:

References

  1. ^ Vývoj návštěvnosti lázní v letech 2000 - 2011
  2. ^ "Zdeněk Vališ: 4. březen 1919 v Kadani". Virtually.cz. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  3. ^ Rozhlas.cz, Počet obyvatel Karlovarského kraje
  4. ^ hu:Pulváry Károly
  5. ^ http://www.hiddeneurope.co.uk/escape-from-carlsbad
  6. ^ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/40411/Kemal-Ataturk/24780/Military-career
  7. ^ Johannes Baier: Goethe und die Thermalquellen von Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad, Tschechische Republik). In: Jahresberichte und Mitteilungen des Oberrheinischen Geologischen Vereins. N. F. Bd. 94, 2012, ISSN 0078-2947, S. 87–103.
  8. ^ https://www.hotelromance.cz/en/
  9. ^ http://www.spa-hotel-imperial.cz/en/
  10. ^ http://www.spa-resort-sanssouci.cz/en/
  11. ^ http://www.spa-ulrika.cz/cs/hotel-ulrika
  12. ^ http://www.karlovyvary.cz/en/trips-surrounding-countryside
  13. ^ About Carlsbad, NM retrieved 2012-03-23
  14. ^ City of Carlsbad - History of Carlsbad, retrieved 2012-03-23.

Further reading

Published in the 19th century

Published in the 20th century

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Karlovy Vary.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Karlovy Vary.
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