A long history of healing of Czech SPA Marianske Lazne

Marianske Lazne - Marienbad - Healing Czech SPA Center

Nevertheless, eventually paths started to appear. People from surrounding settlements knew about the mineral water springs and learnt about their healing powers. The first known records concerning the use of one of them for healing - hot baths - dates back to 1606. The Pre monstratensians from the monastery in Tepla, who owned the land, learnt to make use of the healing water. In 1706-1708 they even built a little chateau in Hamrniky to be clos­er to the springs. In 1766 the names of the first three springs are mentioned: Ambroz, Krizovy and Maria spring. They could not be used fully because the nearby tin mines used  the wood from the local forest: all other en­terprise here was strictly forbidden. In 1786 the monastery in Tepla finally bought off part of the forests from the monarchy for 11 000 florins. Dr. Josef Nehr had a brick house built here for patients; he followed up the effects of therapy and described the spring miner­als. The brick house used to stand by the Maria Spring and was called Maria's Bath, and this is the town's name today.

The spring, and consequently the town, was named Maria's, because once upon a time a soldier, grateful for the miracle of healing of his battle wounds and afflictions fixed a picture of the Virgin Mary on a tree nearby the spring. Officially the name was acknowledged in 1808 and four years later Marianske Lazne was already an independ­ent village.

From 1817 a landscape gardener Vaclav Skalnik who worked in the spa later became the mayor of Marianske Lazne. Thanks to his skills and efforts a wild countryside with swamps, rocks and ravines changed into beautiful parkland within just several decades that could be easily named the Gar­den of Eden.

Soon patients were flowing to the new spa and in time its fame increased. The number of patients and visitors grew yearly and by the end of the 19th century, the spa town became one of the most known spa centres in Europe and competed with spas such as Karlovy Vary. In 1865 Marianske Lazne became of­ficially a municipality. Gradually the town erected important buildings and institutions were built including the town's own power station, street lighting, sewage system, a hos­pital and abattoir. The old bath houses were reconstructed and new bath houses were built as well as luxury hotels in the spa center. Electric trams, a modern convenience and an attraction, were in operation since 1902. In 1952 these were replaced by trolley buses.


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