Karlovy Vary (; , formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is located at the confluence of the Ohře and Teplá rivers. Karlovy Vary is named after Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and the King of Bohemia, who founded the city in the 14th century. The site of numerous hot springs, the city grew into a spa resort in the 19th century and was a popular destination for the European aristocracy and other luminaries. Karlovy Vary's rapid growth was brought to an end by the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. After the Velvet Revolution in 1989, Karlovy Vary once again became a major tourist destination. Karlovy Vary is the most visited spa town in the Czech Republic. In 2021, the city became part of the transnational UNESCO

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

under the name " Great Spa Towns of Europe" because of its spas and architecture from the 18th through 20th centuries. The historic city centre with the spa cultural landscape is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument reservation.

Administrative division

Karlovy Vary consists of 15 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Karlovy Vary (11,539) *Bohatice (2,317) *Čankov (110) *Cihelny (16) *Doubí (2,049) *Drahovice (6,796) *Dvory (1,884) *Hůrky (304) *Olšová Vrata (379) *Počerny (325) *Rosnice (185) *Rybáře (9,204) *Sedlec (570) *Stará Role (7,614) *Tašovice (1,031) Cihelny forms an

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

of the municipal territory.

Etymology

The city is named after its founder Charles IV. The name Karlovy Vary means "Charles' Baths". The city was also colloquially called ''Warmbad'' (German for 'hot bath').

Geography

Karlovy Vary is located about west of

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. The northern part of the municipal territory with most of the built-up area lies in a relatively flat landscape of the Sokolov Basin. The southern part, including the valley of the Teplá River, lies in a hilly landscape of the Slavkov Forest and in the eponymous protected landscape area. The highest point is the hill Vítkův vrch at above sea level. The city lies at the confluence of the Ohře (which flows across the city) with the Teplá and Rolava rivers. There are several small bodies of water in the northern half of the Karlovy Vary territory. The most notable is the natural reservoir Rolava, which is located right in the centre of the city. It is used for recreational purposes.

Climate

Karlovy Vary's climate is classified as

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Dfb''; Trewartha: ''Dclo''). Among them, the annual average temperature is , the hottest month in July is , and the coldest month is in January. The annual precipitation is , of which June is the wettest with , while February is the driest with only . The extreme temperature throughout the year ranged from on 21 December 1969 to on 27 July 1983 and 20 August 2012.

History

An ancient late

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

fortified settlement was found in Drahovice. A Slavic settlement on the site of Karlovy Vary is documented by findings in Tašovice and Sedlec. People lived in close proximity to the site as far back as the 13th century and they must have been aware of the curative effects of thermal springs. From the end of the 12th century to the early 13th century, German settlers from nearby German-speaking regions came as settlers, craftsmen and miners to develop the region's economy. Eventually, Karlovy Vary/Karlsbad became a town with a German-speaking population. In 1325, Obora, a village in today's city area, was mentioned. Karlovy Vary as a small spa settlement was founded most likely around 1349. According to legend, Charles IV organized an expedition into the forests surrounding modern-day Karlovy Vary during a stay in Loket. It is said that his party once discovered a hot spring by accident, and thanks to the water from the spring, Charles IV healed his injured leg. On the site of a spring, he established a spa mentioned as ''in dem warmen Bade bey dem Elbogen'' in German, or ''Horké Lázně u Lokte'' (''Hot Spas at the Loket''). The location was subsequently named "Karlovy Vary" after the emperor. Charles IV granted the town privileges on 14 August 1370. Earlier settlements can also be found on the outskirts of today's city.

19th and 20th centuries

An important political event took place in the city in 1819, with the issuing of the Carlsbad Decrees following a conference there. Initiated by the Austrian Minister of State Klemens von Metternich, the decrees were intended to implement anti-liberal censorship within the German Confederation. Due to publications produced by physicians such as David Becher and Josef von Löschner, the city developed into a spa resort in the 19th century and was visited by many members of European aristocracy as well as celebrities from many fields of endeavour. It became even more popular after railway lines were completed from

to Cheb in 1870. The number of visitors rose from 134 families in the 1756 season to 26,000 guests annually at the end of the 19th century. The greatest year for tourism was 1911, when the number of visitors reached 70,956. World War I ended the development of tourism. Other disasters for tourism were the world economic crisis and the beginning of World War II. At the end of World War I in 1918, the large German-speaking population of Bohemia was incorporated into the new state of

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

in accordance with the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919). As a result, the German-speaking majority of Karlovy Vary protested. A demonstration on 4 March 1919 passed peacefully, but later that month, six demonstrators were killed by Czech troops after a demonstration became unruly. According to the 1930 census, the city was home to 23,901 inhabitants – 20,856 were ethnic Germans, 1,446 were Czechoslovaks (Czechs or Slovaks), 243 were Jews, 19 were Hungarians and 12 were Poles. In 1938, the city was annexed by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

according to the terms of the

Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement was reached in Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, French Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. The agreement provided for the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–194 ...

and administered as part of the Reichsgau Sudetenland. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Germans established a

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

prison here. After the war, in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement and Beneš decrees, most German inhabitants were expelled. After the Velvet Revolution in 1989, spas and tourism began to develop rapidly again. The spa buildings were reconstructed and the spa became competitive again within Europe. The spa became popular with Russian clientele, and brought many Russian investors and developers to the city and its surroundings.

Demographics

In 2017, non-Czech residents were around 7% of the population of the Karlovy Vary region. After Prague, this is the highest proportion in the Czech Republic. The largest group of foreigners were Vietnamese, followed by

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

Ukrainians Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the List of contemporary eth ...

and

Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

Economy

The city's economy is focused on services and only small and medium-sized industrial enterprises are based in it. The main industry is the food and beverage industry, characterized by the bottling of mineral waters and the production of unique delicacies. The largest industrial employer based in the city is Mattoni 1873. Karlovy Vary is known for the popular Czech

liqueur A liqueur ( , ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of Liquor, spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-age ...

'' Becherovka'', which has been produced here since 1807. The ''Karlovarské oplatky'' (Carlsbad wafers) originated in the city in 1867. The city has also lent its name to "Carlsbad plums", candied stuffed prune plums. The other important industries are the production of glass and porcelain. Karlovy Vary is known for the lead glass manufacturer Moser Glass founded in 1857, which is considered the most luxurious Czech brand. The Karlovy Vary agglomeration was defined as a tool for drawing money from the European Structural and Investment Funds. It is an area that includes the city and its surroundings, linked to the city by commuting and migration. It has about 138,000 inhabitants.

Spa

Karlovy Vary is the most visited spa town in the Czech Republic. As the principal city on the West Bohemian Spa Triangle and the largest spa complex in Europe, Karlovy Vary has over 80 springs. They are a part of the Eger Graben, a tectonically active region in western Bohemia. Although the infiltration area is several hundred square kilometres, each spring has the same hydrological origins, and therefore shares the same dissolved minerals and chemical formula. The hottest of the springs can approach 74 °C, while the coldest have temperatures under 40 degrees. All of the springs combined provide roughly 2,000 litres of water every minute.

Transport

Local buses (Dopravní podnik Karlovy Vary) and cable cars take passengers to most areas of the city. The Imperial funicular is the oldest tunnel funicular in Europe and the steepest in the Czech Republic, the Diana funicular was at the time of commissioning the longest funicular in

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

. The city is accessible via the D6 motorway and inter-city public transport options include inter-city buses, České dráhy, and Deutsche Bahn via the Karlovy Vary–Johanngeorgenstadt railway. Karlovy Vary Airport is an international airport located southeast from the city centre, at the village of Olšová Vrata.

Culture

In the 19th century, Karlovy Vary became a popular tourist destination, especially known for international celebrities who visited for spa treatment. The city is also known for the

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (, KVIFF) is an annual film festival held in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern Eur ...

, which is one of the oldest in the world and one of Europe's major film events. The city has been used as the location for a number of film-shoots, including the 2006 films '' Last Holiday'' and '' Casino Royale'', both of which used the city's Grandhotel Pupp in different guises. Moreover, the Palace Bristol Hotel in Karlovy Vary was used as a model for '' The Grand Budapest Hotel''.

Sport

Karlovy Vary is home to the top-tier ice hockey club HC Karlovy Vary, and the top-tier volleyball club VK Karlovarsko. The city is also represented by the football club FC Slavia Karlovy Vary, which plays in the third tier of the Czech football system.

Sights

Karlovy Vary is notable for its large concentration of monuments and architecturally valuable buildings. The origin of most of them is connected with the spa tradition of the city. Since 2018, the spa centre of the city along the Teplá river and the wider surroundings with the spa cultural landscape have been protected as an urban monument reservation. As part of the Great Spa Towns of Europe, Karlovy Vary became a UNESCO

because of its spas and architecture from the 18th through 20th centuries.

Spa buildings

''Císařské lázně'' is the most important spa building, protected as a national cultural monument. It was built in the historicist style of the French Neo-Renaissance in 1893–1895. The largest colonnade with five mineral springs is the Mill Colonnade (Czech: ''Mlýnská''; pseudo-Renaissance structure, built in 1871–1881). The best-known spring is Vřídlo, located in Hot Spring Colonnade (''Vřídelní''; built in Functionalistic style in 1975). The spring gushes out in a geyser up to high. Other colonnades in the city are Park Colonnade (''Sadová''; cast-iron architecture structure built in 1880–1881 by Fellner & Helmer), Market Colonnade (''Tržní''; a wooden structure, built in Swiss style in 1882–1883 by Fellner & Helmer), and Castle Colonnade (''Zámecká''; built in

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

style in 1910–1912 by Friedrich Ohmann).

Churches

The most valuable church is the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene. It is a Catholic church, built in the Baroque style in 1732–1736 on the site of an old Gothic church from the second half of the 14th century. It was built according to the design by

Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer (; 1 September 1689 – 18 December 1751) was a German Bohemians, German Bohemian architect of the Baroque architecture, Baroque era. He is among the most prolific and renowned architects of his era in Bohemia. He was bo ...

and belongs to the most important buildings of the Czech Baroque. It is protected as a national cultural monument. Among the most famous buildings of the city is the Church of Saint Peter and Paul. It was built in the Byzantine style in 1893–1897. It is the largest Orthodox church west of

Post-Soviet states The post-Soviet states, also referred to as the former Soviet Union or the former Soviet republics, are the independent sovereign states that emerged/re-emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Prior to their independence, they ...

. The Church of Saint Andrew was built in the late Gothic style around 1500, reconstructed in the Empire style in 1840–1841. A cemetery was established next to the church for foreign guests of the spa who died in Karlovy Vary. In 1911, the cemetery was converted into a park, known as Mozart's Park, with many Neoclassical tombstones. Since 2005, it is owned by the Greek Catholic Church. The Church of Saint Anne was built in the Baroque style in 1738–1749 on the site of an old church. It is a pilgrimage church, in the construction of which K. I. Dientzenhofer took part. The Church of Saints Peter and Paul is a pseudo-Gothic church, built in 1854–1856 and rebuilt in 1893–1894. Since 1946, it is property of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church. The Church of Saint Luke is a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

pseudo-Gothic two-aisle church, built in 1876–1877. It was built with the financial support of English spa guests. Today it no longer serves religious purposes and houses a wax museum. The Church of Saint Leonard of Noblac was the oldest ecclesiastical structure in the territory of Karlovy Vary. It was first documented in 1246. This late Romanesque structure is located in the woods south of the city proper, where a village used to be. From the end of the 15th century, after the village was depopulated, the church began to deteriorate and became a ruin.

Notable people

* Johann Josef Loschmidt (1821–1895), Austrian scientist * Ignaz Ziegler (1861–1948), Austrian-Czech rabbi * Walter Serner (1889–1942), writer, dadaist * Lily Pincus (1898–1981), German-British social worker, marital psychotherapist and author * Franz Planer (1894–1963), Czech-American cinematographer * Karl Hermann Frank (1898–1946), Nazi official * Walter Becher (1912–2005), German-Czech politician * Zbyněk Brynych (1927–1995), film director * Gerda Mayer (1927–2021), English poet * Georg Riedel (1934–2024), Swedish musician and composer * Karin Stoiber (born 1943), former First Lady of Bavaria * Rudolf Křesťan (born 1943), writer * Princess Michael of Kent (born 1945), member of the British royal family * Vašo Patejdl (1954–2023), Slovak musician and composer * Stanislav Birner (born 1956), tennis player * Josef Řihák (born 1959), politician * Rick Lanz (born 1961), Canadian ice hockey player * Ludmila Peterková (born 1967), clarinetist * Karel Dobrý (born 1969), actor * Jaroslava Pokorná Jermanová (born 1970), politician * Karel Rada (born 1971), footballer * Jana Sýkorová (born 1973) opera singer * Tomáš Vokoun (born 1976), ice hockey player * Petr Kopfstein (born 1978), aerobatic pilot * Tomáš Došek (born 1978), footballer * Milan Šperl (born 1980), cross country skier * Hana Soukupová (born 1985), supermodel * Tomáš Borek (born 1986), footballer * Aiko (born 1999), Russian-Czech singer

Associated with the city

* Dorothea Sophie (1636–1689), Electress of Brandenburg, died in Karlsbad * Peter the Great (1672–1725), Tsar of Russia; visited Karlovy Vary in 1711 *

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

(1749–1832), German poet, novelist and scientist; published a paper on local geology * James Ogilvy, 7th Earl of Findlater (1750–1811), Scottish noble and an accomplished amateur landscape architect and philanthropist; regularly visited the spa and became a patron of the city * Jean de Carro (1770–1857), Swiss physician; published the Almanach de Carlsbad *

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

(1770–1827), composer; came twice for spa treatments. In 1812, he performed a concert in the Czech Hall of the Grandhotel Pupp. *

Adalbert Stifter Adalbert Stifter (; 23 October 1805 – 28 January 1868) was a Bohemian- Austrian writer, poet, painter, and pedagogue. He was notable for the vivid natural landscapes depicted in his writing and has long been popular in the German-speaking wo ...

(1805–1868), Austrian writer; treated here in 1865–1867 * Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849), composer; he and his parents met for the last time during a holiday in Karlsbad, August/September 1835 * Ivan Turgenev (1818–1883), Russian novelist; visited Karlsbad on numerous occasions * Anthony J. Drexel (1826–1893), senior partner of Drexel, Morgan & Co. (JPMorgan, today) and founder of Drexel University; died in Karlsbad in 1893 *

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...

(1881–1938), founder of the Republic of Turkey, as well as its first President; treated here in 1918 * František Běhounek (1898–1973), scientist and novelist; died here *

Vladimir Voronin Vladimir Voronin (; born Vladimir Bujeniță, 25 May 1941) is a Moldovan politician. He was the third President of Moldova#Republic of Moldova (1991–present), President of Moldova from 2001 until 2009 and has been the leader of the Party of ...

(born 1941), former president of the Republic of Moldova; visits Karlovy Vary every year for spa treatments

International relations

Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States (after which Carlsbad Caverns National Park is named),

Carlsbad, California Carlsbad is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California, United States. The city is north of downtown San Diego and south of downtown Los Angeles. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of ...

, USA 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: * Baden-Baden, Germany * Bernkastel-Kues, Germany * Carlsbad, United States * Eilat, Israel * Kusatsu, Japan * Locarno, Switzerland *

Varberg Varberg () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 35,782 inhabitants in 2019. Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their "typical west coast" sandy beaches. In Varberg th ...

, Sweden

Gallery

Evlahos carlovy vary.jpg, Teplá River embankment Pupp.jpg, The Grandhotel Pupp EVLAHOS KARLOVY VARY.jpg, Vřídelní street, above sets of Jeanna de Carro Karlovy Vary vřídelní kolonáda (3).jpg, Hot Spring Colonnade and Vřídelní street KarlovyVaryTshekintasavaltaCzechRepublic 06.jpg, Dvořák Park Karlovy Vary, divadlo.jpg, City Opera House Karlovy Vary Gallery.JPG, Park Colonnade Canal in Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad).jpg, Canal in Karlovy Vary Vřídlo - Karlovy Vary.jpg, Vřídlo, a geyser of mineral water Exterior of Karlovy Vary Town Theatre (Divadlo Karlovy Vary) at night 02.jpg, City theatre File:Karlovy Vary Goethova vyhlídka (2).jpg, Goethe's Lookout

Panorama

References

External links

*
Official tourist portal
{{authority control Spa towns in the Czech Republic Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Karlovy Vary District Populated riverside places in the Czech Republic Towns in the Ore Mountains