{"id":96838,"date":"2026-09-01T19:29:30","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T17:29:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zivykraj.cz\/famous-history\/"},"modified":"2026-09-11T11:15:32","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T09:15:32","slug":"famous-history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/zivykraj.cz\/en\/discover-the-region\/famous-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Famous History"},"content":{"rendered":"

For more than 650 years, the Karlovy Vary Region has been inseparably linked with spa treatment based on the use of natural resources such as thermal and cold mineral springs, mud, peat and gases.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The region is home to five renowned spa towns \u2013 Karlovy Vary, Mari\u00e1nsk\u00e9 L\u00e1zn\u011b, Franti\u0161kovy L\u00e1zn\u011b, J\u00e1chymov and L\u00e1zn\u011b Kyn\u017evart. Local spas have gained exceptional renown far beyond the country\u2019s borders. Karlovy Vary, Mari\u00e1nsk\u00e9 L\u00e1zn\u011b and Franti\u0161kovy L\u00e1zn\u011b are part of the Great Spa Towns of Europe, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.<\/p>\n

The Legend of Charles IV and the Birth of the Spa Towns<\/h4>\n

The Czech King Charles IV often set out hunting from his Loket Castle into the forests in the heart of Europe, in western Bohemia between the Ore Mountains and Slavkov Forest. According to legend, his entourage came across a hot spring one day, and the emperor soon attributed healing powers to it. He himself experienced these effects when local water healed his injured leg. He ordered the area around the spring to be settled, and so it happened. Although Karlovy Vary faced wars and natural disasters several times over the centuries, it never ceased to develop as a spa, architectural and cultural centre, becoming one of the world\u2019s most popular spa towns.<\/p>\n

The founding of Franti\u0161kovy L\u00e1zn\u011b is associated with an equally distinguished figure. In 1793, Austrian Emperor Francis I founded the world\u2019s first peat spa near healing springs close to Cheb. The town named in his honour grew up in less than 200 years. Mari\u00e1nsk\u00e9 L\u00e1zn\u011b, L\u00e1zn\u011b Kyn\u017evart and J\u00e1chymov were established somewhat later.<\/p>\n

Famous Figures Who Visited the Karlovy Vary Region<\/h4>\n

The healing power of the springs, high-quality spa care and the beauty of the towns and surrounding nature all contributed to the fame of the local spas \u2013 as did good publicity. Wealthy aristocrats and leading scientific, political and artistic figures from around the world came here for treatment. The most notable spa guests undoubtedly include Russian Tsar Peter the Great, composer Ludwig van Beethoven, Emperor Franz Joseph I, poet Johann Wolfgang Goethe, piano virtuoso Fryderyk Chopin, the first Czechoslovak president Tom\u00e1\u0161 Garrigue Masaryk, psychologist Sigmund Freud and many others. Some appeared in the region only briefly, while others became so attached to the raw beauty of this western corner of Bohemia that they gladly returned or even stayed for several years.<\/p>\n

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Almost every important guest has something named after them. Some have monuments, while forest trails bear the names of others. Karlovy Vary is also popular with modern-day VIPs, largely thanks to the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, held regularly since 1946. Stars such as Jude Law, Antonio Banderas, John Malkovich, Robert De Niro and Ren\u00e9e Zellweger frequently appear here.<\/p>\n

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In addition to the famous figures who visited the Karlovy Vary Region, we should not forget local natives who helped make western Bohemia known beyond the country\u2019s borders. They include physics professor Heinz Kurt Henisch, whose work helped make the University of Pennsylvania a centre for the study of photographic history in the USA; Franz Gruss, a native of Kraslice renowned in the Czech Republic and abroad for his landscape paintings; and Josef Labitzk\u00fd, the \u201cCzech King of Waltzes\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Karlovy Vary Region Has Hidden Another Treasure Since Ancient Times<\/h4>\n

Did you know that the Ore Mountains Mining Landscape is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List? We believe it fully deserves this recognition, as the Ore Mountains rank among the world\u2019s most unique mining areas thanks to the diversity of their raw materials. Since the Middle Ages, small settlements emerged here, with silver and later other ores being mined nearby. The J\u00e1chymov ore district held the greatest economic importance, where silver coins were minted in addition to mining.<\/p>\n

The J\u00e1chymov thaler, bearing the Czech royal lion, gave rise to a monetary system that lasted more than 350 years and spread throughout Europe and overseas. What is more, it gave its name to the world\u2019s best-known currency \u2013 the dollar. In 1716, the world\u2019s first mining school was established here. At the end of the 19th century, mining around J\u00e1chymov came to worldwide attention after the French scientist Marie Curie-Sk\u0142odowska discovered the radioactive element radium in local pitchblende.<\/p>\n

From a global perspective, the whole Ore Mountains area is important as a technological and scientific centre from which mining inventions and innovations spread to other mining regions around the world. These included techniques for pumping mine water and smelting ores; the first geological maps were produced here, as were the first important mining and metallurgy manuals and textbooks. All of this is documented by the museum in the former Royal Mint in J\u00e1chymov. If you are interested in this topic, it is certainly worth a visit.<\/p>\n\n\t\t