Karlovy Vary guide
The city of Karlovy Vary is located in western Bohemia, about 110 km from Prague, at the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá. Approximately 48,000 inhabitants live here and it is the most visited Czech spa town. Not only spas make the city famous. The whole world knows Karlovy Vary brands such as Moser or Becherovka, and spa wafers or Thun porcelain have also gained their prestige.
Accommodation
Karlovy Vary is a popular tourist destination. Dozens of spa hotels (Carlsbad Plaza Medical Spa & Wellness Hotel, Golden Key Boutique Hotel, EA Hotel Atlantic Palace), guesthouses and apartments (Revelton Studios Karlovy Vary, Apartments Galeta) enjoy the year-round favor of Czech and foreign guests. The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, held at the beginning of July, is a big magnet.
History
The town was founded in the second half of the 14th century, in 1370 the town was granted by Charles IV. privileges of the royal city. However, it was not until 200 years later that it experienced a larger construction and spa boom. In the 17th century, the city faced many natural disasters and hardships associated with the Thirty Years' War. Over time, the spa became more and more popular, which was greatly aided by the fact that the rich nobility went to the city to be treated. The most important patient of that time was undoubtedly the Russian Tsar Peter the Great. With the development of the city, of course, new buildings began to emerge and the city began to grow, the first public spa house was built in the early 18th century. The spa began to become increasingly popular and began to be visited by scientific, political or artistic personalities of the 19th century, including L.v. Beethoven, N. Paganini, F. Chopin, W. A. Mozart, J. K. Tyl, S. Freud or J. Barrande. There is something named in the city after almost every important guest. At the beginning of the 20th century, Karlovy Vary was one of the most famous spa towns in Europe, the development of the town was ruined by both world wars. In 1938, Adolf Hitler also visited Karlovy Vary. After the Second World War, the spa was nationalized and the clientele was limited mainly to guests from the countries of the former Soviet Union.
Monuments and interesting places
In the historical center of Karlovy Vary we find one important historical building next to another. There are many interesting museums in the city - a unique view of the history of the glassworks is offered by the Moser visitor center, in a historic building where a unique liqueur called Becherovka has been produced for 143 years. Of course, such a famous spa town also includes historic spa buildings and colonnades, the most famous and famous are certainly Thermal, Imperial or Pupp, among the colonnades are, for example, the Hot Spring Colonnade, the Garden Colonnade or the Mill Colonnade.
For a beautiful view of the city, you can visit one of the many lookout towers and viewpoints, such as the Diana lookout tower, from which you can see up to 70 km in beautiful weather, Goethe's viewpoint or Charles IV viewpoint. From another perspective, you can look at the city from the statue of a chamois standing on a rock and looking at the city, which is also an integral part of Karlovy Vary.