The past weekend brought fantastic news. UNESCO announced that the famous West Bohemian spa triangle will expand the list of domestic monuments registered on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage list.
Mariánské Lázně, Františkovy Lázně and Karlovy Vary won this unique title together with 8 other famous European spa towns. These are the cities of Baden-Baden, Bad Ems and Bad Kissingen in Germany, Spa in Belgium, Vichy in France, Montecatini Terme in Italy, Baden near Vienna in Austria and the City of Bath in England.
A characteristic feature of the phenomenon of the spa towns is the combination of treatment procedures with a wide range of opportunities to spend free time, which is reflected in the specific form of cities and their architecture. Spa houses, hot spring pavilions, drinking halls and colonnades are complemented by casinos, theaters and other cultural facilities, and everything is integrated into the landscape with mineral springs, parks, gardens, promenades and sports grounds.
The Czech spa towns Mariánské Lázně, Františkovy Lázně and Karlovy Vary emphasize that the spa towns were the only places in Europe that competed culturally with large metropolises and that they became a source of intellectual, artistic, social and political inspiration. In the Czech case, the West Bohemian spa triangle is best known for the stays of Johann Wolfgang Goethe and Frédéric Chopin.
Source: ct24.cz