The Karlovy Vary Region or Carlsbad Region ( cs, Karlovarský kraj, German: ''Karlsbader Region'') is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the westernmost part of its historical region of

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

. It is named after its capital

Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary (; german: Karlsbad, formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 46,000 inhabitants. It lies on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá. ...

Spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneothe ...

s in the region include Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázně.

Administrative divisions

The Karlovy Vary Region is divided into 3 districts: At a lower level, the region has 134 municipalities, comprising 56 in the Karlovy Vary District, 40 in the Cheb District and 38 in the Sokolov District.

Population

Karlovy Vary Region is the smallest region in the Czech Republic with a population of less than 300,000. Only 11 municipalities have populations greater than 5,000. The largest municipality of the region is

with a population of around 50,000. The table below shows the municipalities in Karlovy Vary Region with the largest population (as of 1 January 2019): Other significant towns in Karlovy Vary Region are

Nejdek Nejdek (; german: Neudek) is a town in Karlovy Vary District in the Karlovy Vary Region, Czech Republic. It has about 7,600 inhabitants. Administrative parts Villages of Bernov, Fojtov, Lesík, Lužec, Oldřichov, Pozorka, Suchá, Tisová and Vys ...

, Kraslice, Františkovy Lázně and Horní Slavkov.

Economy

Spas

The region is responsible over half of the county's spa industry. Twelve spas are in the city of Karlovy Vary. Other spa towns in the region include Františkovy Lázně, Mariánské Lázně, Lázně Kynžvart and Jáchymov. The spas are visited by Czechs as well as by people from the rest of Europe, Russia, Israel and North America. The Karlovy Vary spa wafer, a local food item, was awarded

protected designation of origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union and the United Kingdom aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main ...

(PDO) status by the European Commission in 2011. The water from the region is used in locally produced beverages including '' Mattoni'' from Karlovy Vary and ''

Aquila Aquila may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Aquila'', a series of books by S.P. Somtow * ''Aquila'', a 1997 book by Andrew Norriss * ''Aquila'' (children's magazine), a UK-based children's magazine * ''Aquila'' (journal), an or ...

'' from the village of

Kyselka Kyselka (german: Gießhübl-Sauerbrunn) is a municipality and village in the Karlovy Vary District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 800 inhabitants. It is known for its former spa – Kyselka Spa The Kyselka Spa ( ...

Black Triangle

The region is the home of two power stations, ''Vřesová'' and ''Tisová'', both in the Sokolov District. The region is also part of the so-called Black Triangle, an area of heavy industrialization and environmental damage on the three-way border of Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic.

Transport

The Karlovy Region is served by

Karlovy Vary Airport Karlovy Vary Airport ( cs, Letiště Karlovy Vary) is the airport of Karlovy Vary in western Bohemia. It is located in the village of Olšová Vrata, 6 km southeast of the city centre and is the fourth-busiest airport in the Czech Republic. ...

, which handled more than 100,000 passengers in 2012. The region is also home to two other airports, neither of which are used for passenger flights. These are

Cheb Airport Cheb Airport (in Czech ''Letiště Cheb'') (ICAO: LKCB) is the oldest in the Czech Republic. It is located 4.5 km from city of Cheb (in German ''Eger''). The airport was built during the World War I to serve needs of the Austro-Hungarian ...

, the oldest airport in the country, and

Mariánské Lázně Airport Mariánské Lázně Airport (, cz, Letiště Mariánské Lázně) is an airport serving Mariánské Lázně Mariánské Lázně (; german: Marienbad) is a spa town in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has abou ...

. The region lacks any motorways. The unfinished R6 expressway passes through the region, linking Cheb and Karlovy Vary to Prague. The length of operated railway lines in the region is .

Education

The Czech University of Life Sciences Prague opened a centre in the village of Dalovice in the Karlovy Vary District in 2007. The private

College of Karlovy Vary A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering v ...

is also located in the region, in addition to regional centres of the Banking Institute / College of Banking in Karlovy Vary and the University of West Bohemia in Cheb and Sokolov.

References

External links

Official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karlovy Vary Region Regions of the Czech Republic