HEALING CZECH REPUBLIC
At the 44th session of the UNESCO Committee in 2021, experts inscribed a site called "The Great Spa Cities of Europe" onto the World Heritage List. The international heritage site, which in itself is quite a rare phenomenon, united 11 spa towns from seven different countries. Three cities from this list are located in western Bohemia, forming the so-called Czech Golden Triangle. I visited two of them last fall, and now I know that many tourists go to the Czech Republic not only to enjoy the picturesque landscapes and cultural heritage but also to improve their health in the healing
springs of this hospitable country.
The town of Mariánské Lázně is located two hours from Prague in the western part of the Czech Republic near the border with Germany. The town was proclaimed a "Public Spa Place" in 1818, but the therapeutic effects of the springs located in the vicinity of today's Mariánské Lázně were known as far back as the Middle Ages. Today, this modestly sized town (a little more than 50 square kilometers) is the second largest health resort in the Czech Republic.
The main feature that gives Mariánské Lázně its special charm is the huge number of parks. There are so many of them that one gets the feeling that it is not a town speckled with gardens, but rather a huge garden populated by some buildings combining elements of classicism, empire, and art nouveau. However, of course, this does not mean that Mariánské Lázně only boasts attractions of natural origin. Probably the most popular location – certainly the most reproduced on postcards and other souvenirs – is the covered gallery-promenade, which was opened in 1889. The colonnade was designed in Baroque style with elements of modernism and was intended for patients to take leisurely strolls and drink mineral water. The vaulted ceilings of the colonnade were decorated with unusual frescoes by the Czech artist Josef Vyletal, making the process of tossing one’s head upward while leisurely drinking water aesthetically pleasing. The frescoes depict bizarre creatures, fantastic pictures of the sky, and even images of two astronauts.