Karlovy Vary, Bohemia, Czechia
© Henryk Sadura/Getty Image
A Bohemian spa story. Karlovy Vary, Bohemia, Czechia
In today's image, winter settles over Karlovy Vary in Czechia, a pastel valley that built its identity around the hot springs rising through its hills. The eponymous city traces its beginnings to accounts of Charles IV, then king of Bohemia (a historic region of Czechia) and later Roman Emperor, encountering a steaming pool here in the 14th century, an early moment that set this quiet part of Bohemia on the path to becoming a spa retreat.
As the town expanded along the Teplá and Ohře rivers, its character took shape: long colonnades, ornate facades, and riverside hotels that reflected a calm, deliberate rhythm. Visitors from across Europe—aristocrats, writers, composers—came for the warm springs and the slower pace they offered, giving the city a personality rooted in routine, architecture, and water.
That steady link to wellness earned Karlovy Vary a place among the Great Spa Towns of Europe in 2021, a UNESCO group recognizing historic resort cities shaped by natural springs. Even in winter, the city holds a quiet confidence, its story still anchored to the water that first drew people into this valley.
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