Healing Waters from Forty Springs - Marienbad: the beginnings
of fame
Marienbad lies at the southern edge of the Sladkovský Forest,
in the western part of the Czech Republic. For many centuries,
not much interest was paid to the amazing natural treasures of
this area. As if the hard winters, not very hot summers, and frequent
rains had scared off visitors. However, the discovery of mineral
springs resulted in the development of spa towns, which is how
Mariánské Lázne came into being in the middle
of the 19th century. Today the Danubius group has several hotels
in the town, offering first-class facilities for relaxation and
convalescence.
Just like its well-known "twin-town" Karlsbad (Karlovy vary), Marienbad
is located in the westernmost strip of the Czech Republic, in the Sudetenland
region. It lies 630 metres above sea level, surrounded by undulating hills and
thick forests, and many weary visitors find refreshment and respite strolling
through the well-kept parks and woods here, breathing the crystal clear air.
Those in pursuit of convalescence will find the environment they wake up to in
the morning almost equally important to the excellent medical care they can receive
here. The town was built in a wide and spacious river valley; a valley had to
be reclaimed from the forests. The natural setting gently enfolds the line of
magnificent hotels whose turn-of-the century glory creates a splendid townscape.
Buildings resplendent with yellow and white facades reflect the richest years
of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.
Marienbad
first opened itself to visitors seeking recuperation in 1896. The medicinal
springs, rich in minerals, were discovered by Dr Nehr who was working
in the nearby monastery of Tepla at the middle of the 19th century. The
town basically owes its fame and fortune to the pungent, slightly bitter
and sour taste of the waters that spring up from as many as 40 medicinal
springs here. Drinking cures are very successful in treating obesity,
stomach complaints, kidney and respiratory problems, and after warming
it up, the mineral water has been used to treat several other diseases
over the centuries. (Unlike the hot medicinal springs found in Hungary,
local springs are cold and their healing effect is built partly on their
high level of carbon dioxide content.) For those visitors coming to take
a cure, a doctor prescribes the amount of water that they need to drink
from the different springs. The uprush of gas suitable for medical treatment
was discovered later, and this has now been included in the range of
special treatments on offer.
The whole area was owned by the Tepla monastery for a long time. The first bath-house
was built of wood by the monastery's doctor in 1791. The baths opened in 1818,
with a dome raised above the springs and several pavilions were built around
it, mainly in the Ne0-classic style. The late 19th and early 20th century found
Marienbad in its full glory. Kings, emperors, and famous artists, such as Goethe,
Chopin, Liszt, Dvořák and Wagner regularly came here. Edward VIII
of England had as many as nine cures to tackle his excess weight between 1899
and 1908. He received a separate cabin in the magnificent Nové Lázne
hotel, which has been popular among the more demanding customers ever since.
Marienbad and its surroundings has excellent transport links: located only 20
kilometres from the German border, 720 kilometres from Budapest, 150 kilometres
from Prague, and Nuremberg is only 160 kilometres away. The town is accessible
by train or plane, with an airport in Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad), just some 30 kilometres
away, and one in Prague, which is only an hour and a half drive from here.
