Karlovy Vary (pronounced , , also known in English as Carlsbad) is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Oh?e and Teplá. It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370. It is historically famous for its hot springs (13 main springs, about 300 smaller springs, and the warm-water Teplá River).

In the 19th century, it became a popular tourist destination, especially for international celebrities visiting for spa treatment. The city is also known for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and the popular Czech liqueur Karlovarská Becherovka. The glass manufacturer Moser Glass is located in Carlsbad.

The city has been used as the location for a number of film-shoots, including the 2006 films Last Holiday and box-office hit Casino Royale, both of which used the city's Grandhotel Pupp in different guises.

Carlsbad, New Mexico; Carlsbad Caverns National Park; and Carlsbad, California all take their names from Carlsbad.

History

On 14 August 1370, Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor gave city privileges to the place that subsequently was named after him, according to legend after he had acclaimed the healing power of the hot springs. However, earlier settlements could be found in the outskirts of today's city.

Due to publications by doctors like David Becher and Josef von Löschner, the city developed into a famous spa resort and was visited by many members of European aristocracy. It became popular after the railway lines to Eger (Cheb) and Prague were completed in 1870.

The number of visitors rose from 134 families in the 1756 season to 26,000 guests annually at the end of the 19th century. By 1911 that figure had reached already 71,000 but the Great War put an end to tourism and also led to the collapse of the Austro Hungarian Empire by late 1918.

The German-speaking majority protested against being made a part of Czechoslovakia by the Treaty of Saint Germain. A demonstration on 4 March 1919 passed peacefully, but later that month six demonstrators were killed by Czech troops after a demonstrations turned unruly^[1].

In 1938 the so-called Sudetenland including Carlsbad (Karlovy Vary) became part of Nazi Germany after the Munich Agreement. After WWII, the majority of ethnic German population of the city was expelled according to the Potsdam Agreement.

Before that, the Carlsbad Decrees of 1819 had associated the city with anti-liberal censorship within the German Confederation.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of Communist rule in the Czech Republic, that has been a steady increase of Russian Mafia presence in Karlovy Vary. The Russian mob has used real estate in Karlovy Vary as a means to launder money, buying up property and creating their own airport just outside of town that runs flights to Moscow and back.^[2].

Population

• 1930 - 54,652
• 1939 - 53,339
• 1947 - 31,322
• 1991 - 56,291 (3 March)
• 2001 - 53,857 (1 March)
• 2003 - 52,359 (1 January)

Notable people associated with Karlovy Vary

• Franti?ek B?hounek, scientist and novelist
• Karl Hermann Frank, Nazi official
• Johann Wolfgang Goethe, German poet, novelist, philosopher, scientist
• Walter Kaufman, composer
• Princess Michael of Kent (born Marie-Christine von Reibnitz), a member of the British Royal Family, was born in January 1945, prior to the expulsion of the German population
• August Labitzky, composer
• Johann Josef Loschmidt, scientist
• Karl Marx, social scientist and philosopher, came for spa treatments for his numerous health problems. The only Karl Marx museum in the socialist world was located in Karlovy Vary, and a path in the hills where he took walks bears his name.
• August Pfizmaier, Orientalist
• Walter Serner, dadaist
• Hana Soukupová, supermodel
• Adalbert Stifter, Austrian writer
• Karin Stoiber, Former First Lady of Bavaria
• Tomá? Vokoun, hockey player
• Carl Weidl-Raymon, early proponent of European unification
• Ludwig van Beethoven, the famous composer came for spa treatments. He and Goethe would take walks together, much to the delight of the people of Karlovy Vary.

Gallery

<gallery> Image:EVLAHOS KARLOVY VARY.jpg Image:Evlahos_carlovy_vary.jpg Image:Karlovy_Vary_Czech_Rep.jpg Image:Karlovy Vary Czech.jpg|A Bird's-eye View of Karlovy Vary Image:Karlovy vary air 3723b.jpg|Aerial View of Karlovy Vary </gallery>

References

External links

• http://www.karlovy-vary-hotels.com
• Information about the city
• Live Webcam
• Maps, tourist information and hotels
• Impressions - slide show
• Photo gallery of Karlovy Vary
• Municipal website
• Sightseeing points (map and videos)
• Czech Health Spas Information and booking of SPA all around Czech Republic
• Pictures & Streetmap from 1725 (?), A. F. Zuerner/Schenck (Amsterdam)
• Pictures & Streetmap from 1733, Homannische Erben (Nuernberg)

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