Famous Spa Towns of Europe on the UNESCO World Heritage List
Mgr. Lubomír Zeman
Summary: Natural mineral resources, which include mineral waters, are the treasures of this country. They heal, cure and alleviate various ailments. Over and around their springs, places began to emerge that used these resources for healing — spas and therapeutic facilities. The spa is undeniably a remarkable cultural and social phenomenon of its kind, which has been part of world civilization for more than two and a half thousand years.
The three spa towns, Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně, which have been referred to since Goethe's time as the West Bohemian Spa Triangle, are among the most important in the world.
The spa towns experienced their greatest boom in the second half of the 19th century and especially in the years 1890-1914, which is rightly referred to as their golden age. The surrounding landscape, designed specifically for spa therapy purposes, was also a part of the spa areas, shaped by the hand of man into exceptional landscapes. Together they form unique complex units.
The turning point came after the Second World War, especially with the eviction of the original inhabitants and the arrival of new settlers who had no connection to the area. After the nationalisation of the spas, the spa houses were transformed into medical facilities of the national enterprise Czechoslovak State Spa and also into facilities for the treatment of trade union members.
Nevertheless, the spa towns in western Bohemia represented a potential too valuable even for the needs of the socialist system, and so, the continuous exploitation of existing spa capacities continued.
The nomination of spa towns in western Bohemia to the UNESCO List has brought a qualitative change in the understanding and approach to the care of tangible and intangible spa heritage.
The inscription of the three West Bohemian spa towns of Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně on the World Heritage List is a recognition of their exceptional values and qualities. The inscription is first and foremost a commitment that internationally recognised cultural and historical values will be passed on to future generations in an undisturbed state. Thus, in order to live up to our commitments, this world cultural heritage must be increasingly understood and properly protected.