This beautiful resort in the Czech Republic has two names - national and German. The history of Karlovy Vary, or, in German, Karlsbad, as it was called before, is associated with hot mineral springs. The city arose due to the fact that people discovered the beneficial properties of water saturated with minerals and carbon dioxide, began to build here clinics and sanatoriums.
In summer, the number of residents of Karlovy Vary increases several times, mainly due to travelers from Russia. Because of this, sometimes there is a feeling that the city is located somewhere in the Central Russian zone, but not in the center of Western Europe.
The birth of the resort
Undoubtedly, the history of Karlovy Vary knows more than one beautiful legend, which tells about the foundation of a settlement in this place. The most likely, based on the name, is the legend of Charles IV, the Czech king and emperor of the Roman Empire. The crowned person, hunting in these places, injured her leg and washed it with the water of the first spring she encountered. The wound healed very quickly without leaving a scar. By order of the emperor, the settlement was founded.
This is a beautiful legend, but it is known that in the middle of the 14th century there was a real settlement in these places with the characteristic Czech name Vřidlo. It is called the forerunner of the modern world health resort.
The tragedies and rise of Karlovy Vary
Not all the events that took place in the area were of a light, joyful shade. At the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. for the area, one might say, a black streak began, troubles followed each other. The following events have survived in the history of Karlovy Vary of this period: 1582 - a flood that caused severe damage to city buildings; 1604 - a terrible fire that destroyed wooden architecture; and in 1618 the Thirty Years' War began.
On the one hand, such sad events led to the fact that as a resort this place began to lose popularity. On the other hand, the inhabitants of Karlovy Vary were forced to look for work, tin mining, industries, including weapons production, began to develop.
Towards the end of the 17th century, the resort opened a "second wind", primarily due to the Russian, Polish aristocrats and Peter I, who made a good advertisement of the area.
The next century was a period of take-off for Karlovy Vary, the authorities of the Austro-Hungarian Empire invested huge funds in urban planning and the development of the resort area. The borders of the Czech spa are also expanding, luxury hotels, halls for mineral springs, hotels and hotels are being built.
