Karlovy Vary
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| Karlovy Vary | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country | Czech Republic | ||
| Region | Karlovy Vary | ||
| District | Karlovy Vary | ||
| Founded around | 1350 | ||
| Area | |||
| - city | 59.1 km² (22.8 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 447 m (1,466.5 ft) | ||
| Population (2005) | |||
| - city | 51,537 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 360 01 | ||
| Website: www.karlovyvary.cz | |||
Karlovy Vary (IPA: [ˈkarlovɪ ˈvarɪ] , German: Karlsbad), also known in English as Carlsbad, is a spa city situated in Bohemia, the western part of the Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře (German: Eger) and Teplá. Carlsbad is named after 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 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 and Carlsbad, California, in the United States, and nearby Carlsbad Caverns National Park take their names from Carlsbad.
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[edit] 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 at the end of the 19th century. In 1911 it were already 71,000 but the Great War put an end to tourism and also to the Austro Hungarian Empire that dissolved in 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 in March 1919 six demonstrants were killed by Czechs troops.
In 1938, Carlsbad and the whole Sudetenland became part of Nazi Germany. Until their expulsion in 1945 the majority of the population of the city spoke German.
Before that, the Carlsbad Decrees of 1819 had associated the city with anti-liberal censorship within the German Confederation.
[edit] 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)
[edit] Notable people associated with Karlovy Vary
- František Běhounek, 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
- August Pfizmaier, Orientalist
- Walter Serner, dadaist
- Hana Soukupová, supermodel
- Karin Stoiber, First Lady of Bavaria
- Tomáš Vokoun, hockey player
- Carl Weidl-Raymon, early proponent of European unification
[edit] External links
- Municipal website (Czech)
- Information about the city
- Maps, tourist information and hotels
- Impressions - slide show
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