Guide

 

Karlovy Vary specialities

Carlsbad has made a name for itself as a spa. Later however with its specialities and sights typical for this city and its surroundings as well. Speaking of specialities, we mean in particular certain products to be used.

Moser glass

In particular Moser glass, named after the founder of the famous glass factory and known as "Glass of Kings" all around the world, ranks among these traditional specialities; this glass used to become a decoration and pride for rulers and other celebrities in many countries all around the world. It is a synonym for a top craft and artistic level. Ludwig Löwi Moser (1833 - 1916) got a training in engraving, in 1857 he founded his own workshop and glass shop. The shop and workshop were situated in the Golden Key House, later in the Red Heart House in Stará louka. In 1893, he set up his own glassworks in Dvory u Karlových Varů, where Moser, a.s., Company has its registered office these days. Moser focused only on a production of glass of art; the raw material was Bohemian crystal glass that was most suitable for artistic processing through engraving, cutting and decorating by gold and painting thanks to its hardness. He displayed his products at world and industrial exhibitions where they were awarded a number of prizes. After he had left the company management in 1913, one of his sons, Leo Moser, assumed his office; Leo Moser started a production of special coloured molten glass, famous "Moser's colours". The glass works produces not only luxurious drink glass, but also decorative glass of classic and modern shapes. This is traditionally an exclusively manual production. Popular products are Moser inhalers that correspond to six physiognomies after which they have been given their names. They are Slim Lady, Beanpole, Stocky Gentleman, Long Face, Fat Berta and Moon Face. Special attention should be paid to the Moser engraved glass. In its latest phase of its development, the Moser glass factory creates a varied and wide range and inexhaustible shapes of its products made of clear crystal glass as well as of beautiful colours.

Becherovka

Bitter-sweet bitters Karlovarská Becherovka (38 % of alcohol, 10 % of sugar), known as "the thirteenth spring", is one of the traditional and without doubt the most original speciality of Carlsbad. The history of this delicious drink dates back to 1805 when a certain earl came to the spa of Carlsbad with his personal doctor Frobrig, coming from England. They put up at the Three Larks House at Tržiště (Marketplace), whose owner was a nephew of the famous balneologist of Carlsbad, Dr. David Becher, the pharmacist Josef Becher, and where he also had his pharmacy. In this pharmacy, a friendship of a doctor and a pharmacist began, a friendship of experts and collectors of herbs. Their cooperation resulted in Dr. Frobrig's recipe for "an elixir of life" as he said, mixed of twenty herbs growing in the surroundings. When leaving Carlsbad, he gave his recipe to his friend. After having experimented and having put the finishing touches to the recipe for two years, Josef Becher started to produce and sell "the English Bitter", "the Bitters" at first and later "Original Karlsbader Becherbitter" - a liquor aiding digestion, instead of the "elixir" in 1807. In 1841, his firm was taken over by his son Jan Becher who had the typical green flasks patented and industrialised the production. The Becherbitter has risen to fame all around the world. The manufacturing secret is known only by several people, and nobody in the world has succeeded in producing the genuine Karlsbader Becherbitter so far as not only those twenty "mysterious herbs", but also water of Carlsbad, oak wood of old oval-shaped barrels, the atmosphere and the temperature in cellars have their share in its original taste. Neither the competition, nor imitators have stood the test. The Becherbitter won recognition and was awarded medals at national and international exhibitions and fairs. Less known products are also specialities: KV 14 - dry aperitif (40 % of alcohol, without sugar), Rapid Bitter - (40 % of alcohol, 2 % of sugar), Cordial Medoc - sweet liquor (35 % of alcohol, 40 % of sugar), Limet (30 % of alcohol, 10 % of sugar), Extra bitter 50 - suitable for drink mixing (50 % of alcohol, without sugar).

Karlsbad Wafers

Karlsbad Wafers are one of the most popular specialities of Carlsbad; they started to be produced by Karl Bayer some time around 1850. At first, it was a small-scale domestic output, the wafers were supplied to spa guests as a delicious and easy-to-digest delicacy to be eaten with coffee. Only in 1867, they got their typical taste and golden-coloured design. As early as the 18th century, the wafers were produced by means of pliers wafer makers. Several kinds of the wafers are produced and are exported to many countries all around the world. However, the wafers produced according to the original recipe are most popular - filled with hazelnut sugar filling. In some shops, they are supplied as ready-to-cook food and their production is finished directly before customers' eyes. These, still warm, are most popular.

China ranks

Carlsbad china ranks among the specialities that have made Carlsbad famous all around the world. The local china factories have produced not only utility china, but also ornamental, esthetically harmonised as to shapes and beautifully decorated china. This region has very favourable conditions for the china production as there are raw materials there, which are necessary for the china material production. Besides feldspar and quartz, it is in particular kaolin as one of the principal china components. Rich deposits are situated near the city in the surroundings of Sedlec. The local kaolin, known as kaolin of Sedlec, is considered standard in the world. It was the recognition in the international congress in Copenhagen in 1924 that was crucial for it. An industrial china production started in the region of Carlsbad in 1792 when the oldest china factory in Bohemia was founded in Horní Slavkov. Then the china industry developed quite quickly, to which nearby brown coal mines (brown coal was used in kilns) contributed. Other factories were founded in Klášterec nad Ohří in 1794, in Březová u Karlových Varů and in Kysibl (Stružná) in 1803, in Dalovice in 1804, in Stará Role and Chodov in 1810 and in Loket in 1815. In the following decades, other factories were set up, so in the early 1990s the state enterprise Karlovarský porcelán had 18 production factories in the nearby and more distant surroundings. After the privatisation in 1990, independent bigger, but also smaller private companies were founded. Unfortunately, a number of them have been dissolved.

Carlsbad thermal salt

A traditional Carlsbad speciality is the renewed production of Carlsbad thermal salt. It is produced for drinking courses of treatment from the Carlsbad mineral springs and is intended for special nutrition in case of digestion diseases. It is also produced as bath salt in white colour without any aroma admixtures used in particular in spa facilities and in light green colour with pine scent used in aromatherapy. The salt dissolves in water and is used for inhalations, for bathes in case of tired muscles and joints, as supporting cure in the traditional Carlsbad treatment etc. The bath improves supplying the whole organism with blood, it redresses the body surface, and it softens the skin. In respect of the limited duration of the spa treatment, doctors recommend their patients to keep having baths with the thermal salt at home after having returned from their spa stay. Before using the salt, you have to consult your doctor.

The sedimentation activity of thermal water, which has always been a source of many troubles in particular in spring catchments and mineral water distribution, is used for a production of typical Carlsbad souvenirs. Sinter develops from the thermal water with air coming very quickly, and it is coloured by oxidized iron very beautifully. Already in the past, various kinds of Carlsbad sinters were collected, they were polished and ornamental articles and accessories were made of them. The sedimentation effect is used for turning various objects into stone - for a production of petrified roses. Paper roses, suitably impregnated are used. Further for a production of figures and other souvenirs. Objects used to be sunk into thermal water in the past. Nowadays the production is carried out in the underground of the Vřídelní kolonáda (Thermal Colonnade). Wastewater from the thermal fountain is led to a special room. This water is more aerated, and that is why calcium carbonate is released from it more quickly. In the room where objects are turned into stone, thermal water is used as a shower - water falls on hanging or standing objects. A thin layer of sinter is settled down on the objects soon - in five to fifteen days. The duration depends on the specific object to be turned into stone - in case of a rose it takes approximately five days.

Generally

With regard to the location of the world-famous spa city and the specific landscape - a narrow, deep valley a river flows through, other sights typical for this city, in particular of a structural nature, developed in Carlsbad. These are not only some special kinds of communications, but in particular a quantity of these public communications, such as bridges, footbridges, cableways, a lift and stairs. There are also a lot of belvederes and lookout towers on the surrounding hills, summerhouses in the local spa woods and a number of memorial plaques in Carlsbad.

A lot of pedestrian bridges, bridges and footbridges were built near one another in order spa guests can go to buildings and structures on both banks of the Teplá River. Currently, there are more than sixty bridges over all rivers and brooks in Carlsbad.

Since buildings near the spa centre are built on sharp slopes of the Teplá River Valley, a great number of stairs and staircases enabling access and connecting ways, paths and roads have been built. Unfortunately, many of them cannot be used any more. Just as the fast-speed lift established for a transport of people from Tržiště (Marketplace) to Zámecký vrch (Castle Hill) in 1911; it has also been out of order for several decades.

Cableways are also a speciality of the city. The oldest one in Carlsbad and probably the first underground in the Czech Republic is the railway from Divadelní náměstí to the Imperial Hotel - a part of the city transport system nowadays. Its operation was started in 1907. It is 127 m long. Later, its extension from Helenin dvůr (Helena's Yard) through Tři kříže (Three Crosses) to Štěpánčina vyhlídka (Štěpánka's Belvedere, Goethe's Belvedere now) was thought about. However, due to high construction costs, it was not implemented. The best-known and longest cableway is the cableway from Mariánská ulička (next to the Pupp Hotel) to Výšina přátelství (Friendship Height), put into operation after a ten-month construction in 1912. It is 437 m long and its station in the middle is called Jelení skok (Deer's Jump). The cableway from Slovenská Street to the Imperial Hotel, which was included in the Imperial Hotel construction and was put into operation to the public in 1912, has been out of order for a long time. A planned cog railway was not built. Its construction began in 1913 and it should have led from Vřídelní Street to the Tři kříže hill (Three Cross Hill). The construction was interrupted during the First World War; after the War, a railway body (still partially preserved) and the Panorama station were built.

Although lookout towers are not a speciality of Carlsbad only, but a speciality must be their number. Ass early as the 19th century, there were six lookout towers in Carlsbad. As early as the 1880s, a wooden lookout tower on Vítkův vrch (Vítek's Hill), 644 m high, which was in operation until 1930s, was built. A wooden lookout tower on Zámecký vrch (Castle Hill), 624 m high (southwards from Březová) known also as Mesceryho výšina (Mescery's Hill), dates back to that period. It was used until the First World War.

Among the current walled lookout towers, we could name Karlova vyhlídka (also Vyhlídka Karla IV.) (Charles's Belvedere, Belvedere of Charles the Fourth) built in the neo-Gothic style on the top of the western slope of the Teplá River Valley - on Hamerský vrch (Hamer Hill) in the height of 510 m above s. l. in 1877. In 1889, the current Goethova vyhlídka (Goethe's Belvedere) was built in the Romantic style on the Věčný život hill (Eternal Life Hill) in the altitude of 639 m above s. l. One of the city dominant features is the best-known Diana Lookout Tower built on Výšina přátelství (Friendship Height) in the altitude of 547 m above s. l. in 1914, to which a cableway leads. The last Carlsbad lookout tower is Aberg Lookout Tower on Doubská hora (Doubský Mountain) (609 m above s. l.) built as a part of a restaurant with a dancehall in 1905. After the privatisation, it is a part of a high-class hotel and it is not available to the public.

One of the sights, in particular as to its number - wood summerhouses - has been used for a rest during walks in the adjacent spa woods since the 19th century. Among them, there are structures that are decorated very nicely and the greater part of them has been reconstructed recently. There are 45 summerhouses in the city area. Memorial plaques on building walls and rocks are also a speciality of the city, there are more than seventy ones there these days. In the past, you could see more than one hundred ones.

Carlsbad is sure to have other specialities and sights, perhaps less known and important and you may discover some of them while walking in the city and its surroundings.

Bruno Fischer, August 2002