Františkovy Lázně is a spa town in the Karlovy Vary region of the Czech Republic. Together with neighbouring Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázně, it is a part of the West Bohemian Spa Triangle. Františkovy Lázně is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its natural springs and well-preserved architecture from the past centuries.
Below is one of the buildings, from 1882. Today such pavilions of Františkovy Lázně used for open-air concerts:
Flemming and I saw much of the town the day before, and we wanted to go for a longer walk. So we headed out to the nature, for an easy hike:
There were lakes and forests on the way, interesting historical sites:
I think, it was called America forest park. There were many things named America. The longest street in the towm, a camping site, a forest, a zoo, you name it. We never figured out why.
A stunning property, turned restaurant:
On the othe side of the road, there was a restaurant called “Chaloupka u vody” (Cottage by the water), where we decided to have an ice-cream break:
It was a hot day, with +37C in the shadow, you woudn’t survive without an ice-cream!
Aftrer the break, we continued through the forest:
By the end of our trail, when we reached Františkovy Lázně, there was a monument to Clára Nonnerové:
Clára was a daughter of baker Adam Werner, she inherited house called the City of Paris and a thriving business. The marriage with Josef Nonner remained childfree, so before she died on May 17, 1902, she bequeathed a large amount to the city for social and humanitarian purposes (around 2 million Czech crowns in today’s price). The city put the money in a foundation, which supported the Annaheim asylum for the poor. As a tribute to the generous donor, the town erected a monument to Clára Nonnerové in January 1904,
We continued to the Frantisek Spring, which is the oldest collected spring in Františkovy Lázně, and, along with the pavilion that covers it, embodies the symbol and heart of the town:
It was the decision in 1789 to roof over the spring, that represented the first hygienic measures in terms of caring for the local natural therapeutic resources. Without a doubt, all famous guests have had at least a sip of the therapeutic water of the František Spring, and many compared its taste to champagne (you would never believe it, if you saw the content of the spring water!).
We saw several springs in the town. The one on the photo below was called Adler, after the name of the Dr. Bernard Vincenz Adler, discovered it in 1925:
In fact, the foundation of the spa town is credited to Dr. Bernard Vincenz Adler, and to Count Filip František Kolowrat-Krakowský, who succeeded in gaining support from the emperor. The date of foundation of Františkovy Lázně is considered to be 27th April 1793. On this day, Emperor Franz I approved the construction of a “spa colony”.
Františkovy Lázně had many nice, green and peaceful parks:
There were a couple of churches, one of them located by the hotel where we stayed on Ryská street – The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, a Roman Catholic church from 1820:
We finished the day with a meal at one of the town’s restaurants. The waiting time was around 1 hour (!), but the food was good:
