Salt water temple - a photo on Flickriver

Salt water temple

            Hall of the Glauber salt springs (in Czech language: "Dvorana Glauberových Pramenù"), Františkovy Lázně, West Bohemia, Czech Republic

Some background information:

Františkovy Lázně (in German: Franzensbad) is a spa town in the Czech Republic. It is located in the Cheb District of the Karlovy Vary Region near the German border. It has about 5,500 residents. Together with the neighbouring spa towns Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázně, it is part of the renowned West Bohemian Spa Triangle. The historic town centre, under monumental protection since 1992, is a candidate for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage.

The townscape of Františkovy Lázně is largely shaped by neoclassical and Belle Époque buildings of the Habsburg era, as well as by extended parks and gardens with numeours springs and bathhouses. The local spa corporation is the biggest spa corporation in the Czech Republic.. It operated 24 mineral springs, 12 of which are still in operation.

The natural mineral water in the municipal area has a relatively high content of dissolved carbon dioxide. The local mud treatments represent a traditional curative method which has thermal, chemical and mechanical effects. The mud treatment consists of a thick mushy combination of mud and mineral water which is heated up to a temperature which is significantly higher than body temperature. The treatment has a positive effect on mobility of muscles and the pain in treated tissues.

The salutary effects of the surrounding springs were known from the late 14th century on. The physician Georgius Agricola (1494 to 1555) mentioned the mineral water available to the Cheb citizens. The sources from which, according to ancient law, water was drafted and brought to the city of Cheb (in German: Eger), were first used locally for salutary purposes. Later, the water was also shipped in earthenware bottles and in 1700, it reportedly sold more water than all other spas in the Empire combined. About 1705, an inn was erected at the site of a mineral spring later known as Franzensquelle.

In 1793, the present town was officially founded under the name Kaiser Franzensdorf, after Emperor Francis II, and later renamed to Franzensbad, under which name it became a famous spa . The spa was founded by Eger-based doctor Bernhard Adler (1753 to 1810). He promoted the expansion of existing spa facilities and the accommodation for those seeking healing and promoted the transformation of the swampy moorland with paths and footbridges to well-known sources. When in 1791 Adler had a pavilion and a water basin erected at the Franzensquelle, he sparked a revolt of the numerous women who earned their livelihood with the scooping, transport and sale of the water in Cheb. They resisted bitterly against his plans, feeling their water bearing rights were threatened, and demolished his premises.

The town council of Cheb intervened and made the extension as a health resort possible. The result was a demanding recreation area, with easy access from the city of Cheb. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was one of the most famous guests of the early days. Another one was Ludwig van Beethoven, accompanied by Antonia Brentano and her family.

During the 19th century, numerous aristocrats, especially Russian nobles, were patients with well-known doctors bolstering the reputation of Franzensbad as an exclusive resort. Franzensbad offered one of the first peat pulp baths in Europe, popular especially with female guests. A public spa house was built in 1827. The writer Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach perpetuated her stay in her early work Aus Franzensbad in 1858. Other notable guests included Theodor Herzl , Johann Strauss, Franz Kafka, Emperor Francis Joseph I, and Archduke Charles I of Austria.

In 1862, Franzensbad emerged as an autonomus municipality and obtained town privileges three years later. Until 1918 it was part of the Bohemian crown land of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. After World War I, the town's reputation, however, began to fade. Then part of the new state of Czechoslovakia, the spa lost many of its guests and was hit hard by the Great Depression of 1929. 

After World War II, the German speaking population was expelled according to the Beneš decrees, many of them settled in Bayreuth in the German state of Bavaria. The spa facilities were nationalized under the rule of the Communist Party. After the Velvet Revolution of 1989, a stock company was established which succeeded to reimprove the status of Františkovy Lázně as a venue for international guests. At present Františkovy Lázně has about 3,500 hotel and spa beds, re-experiencing a steady increase in popularity.

Taken in: Česká republika / Karlovarský kraj / Slatina (show map)

Taken on: June 10, 2017

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Sets appears in: • Czech Republic 2012 - 2022 • Buildings - Czech Republic more » • Spring « less

Groups appears in: • European Vacation • Villages and small towns of the world more » • ANTICANDO!!!(P2/Aw3)Please,only Subject ANCIENT • Villages et petites villes d'Europe • "History & Antiquities (Post 5 - Award 3)" • Historical and architectural gems • Baugeschichte "History of Architecture" • Strictly GeoTagged (no 30/60 limit) • The concept is Europe • buildings are beautiful • ₪ HISTORY & MYSTERY Society ₪ Add 1 | Award 3 « less

Camera: Canon PowerShot SX20 IS, f/4.5, 1/500 sec, 19.2mm, ISO 125 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon PowerShot SX20 IS
Lens:	5.0-100.0 mm
Aperture:	f/4.5
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/500)
Focal Length:	19.2mm
ISO:	125
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows)
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