Mineral Springs

Hot Spring

1st mineral spring of Karlovy Vary

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Spring site: Hot Spring Colonnade
Location: On the right bank of the Teplá River in the centre of Karlovy Vary
Date of first interception: 16th century
Temperature: 73,4°C
Yield: 2,000 litres per minute
CO2 content: 400 mg per litre
Accessibility: Accessible during the opening hours of the Hot Spring Colonnade

Hot Spring Colonnade opening hours

Monday – Friday

09:00 am – 5:00 pm

Saturday - Sunday

10:00 am – 5:00 pm

 

How to get there

Route 1: The Hot Spring Colonnade is situated directly in the spa centre of Karlovy Vary above the Teplá River in the vicinity of Divadelní náměstí (Theatre Square).
Route 2: The second alternative is to travel by Bus No. 2 from the "Tržnice" (Market) city bus terminal to Divadelní náměstí (Theatre Square) in the spa centre. The Hot Spring Colonnade is only about 150 metres from the "Divadelní náměstí (Theatre Square) terminal bus stop.

Originally, the seep of the Hot Spring in front of the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene was covered only by light structures and pavilions that could be easily replaced after repeated bursts and unexpected therm irruptions. The spacious Baroque Vřídelní sál (Hot Spring Hall) built in its vicinity in 1774 reflected the application of the curative methods of Dr. David Becher who laid great emphasis on drinking the healing waters directly at the source. The very first uniform architectonic concept of the area surrounding the Hot Spring was embodied by the Empire Hot Spring Colonnade built in 1826.

It was replaced by the new cast-iron Hot Spring Colonnade constructed according to the design of Viennese architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer between the years 1878 and 1879. Unfortunately, the corroded colonnade had to be disassembled in 1939 and replaced by a temporary wooden structure for the next 35 years. In 1975, the new modern glass and reinforced concrete colonnade was built in Functionalistic style over the Hot Spring. The geyser of the Hot Spring is a unique natural phenomenon and it yields an average of 2,000 litres of mineral water per minute. Thanks to high pressure, it gushes to a height of almost 12 metres. The Hot Spring is currently the only spring used for baths. Thermal water from the spring is supplied to various spa facilities and it is also used for the production of Karlovy Vary thermal salt and the traditional stone-coated souvenirs.

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