Mariánské Lázně, Egerland

In August 2017, we travelled to the Egerland with a Studiosus group. In this trip, we travelled to Mariánské Lázně, Karlovy Vary, Cheb, Plzeň, Teplá Monastery and the castle town of Loket.

The small town of Mariánské Lázně is a spa town in the middle of the densely wooded region of western Bohemia. The spa district offers the beautiful Skalnikovy Park with the elongated, cast-iron Maxim Gorky Colonnade, the "singing fountain" and the cross fountain surrounded by columns. In the spa district there are many beautiful hotels in confectionery architecture, such as the Ensana Hotel we visited. Mariánské Lázně is a decelerated city, much of it still has imperial and royal flair. We enjoyed a Chopin piano concert and, of course, spa concerts in the park. Marienbad's past is associated with names such as Goethe, Chopin, Gorky, Dvorák and many others, especially European aristocrats who spent their summer holidays here 100 years ago.

12 kilometres from Mariánské Lázně is the 17th century Teplá Monastery. The building's plasterwork is crumbling, but the convent building houses a neo-baroque library with over 100,000 books.

Towards Karlovy Vary, the picturesque town of Loket is surrounded by a bend in the river Ohre (Eger). Loket Castle sits high on a granite rock, surrounded by Renaissance-style houses.

Karlovy Vary is the most famous spa town in Bohemia with over 50,000 inhabitants. The noble spa town is surrounded by forests on the Tepla River. Splendid buildings from the Belle Époque are evidence of its glorious past. There are still six spas in addition to sanatoriums and the famous Hotel Pupp. The mill fountain, market and spa colonnades are worth seeing, the latter with a high jet in a glass rotunda.

Pilsen is not only famous for its Urquell brewery. The centre of the Bohemian student city has been extensively renovated and has beautiful Baroque and Renaissance houses. The Republic Square (Namesti Republiky) with the three-nave St Bartholomew's Cathedral and the Plague Column is located in the centre. Rich inscriptions decorate the Pilsen Town Hall. The Great Synagogue is the second largest in Europe and was built in Moorish-Romanesque style. After a tour of the impressive exterior façade, a one-hour guided tour informs visitors about the former life of the Jews.
On the way back, we made a short stop in Eger, which is only 10 kilometres from the German border. The town has an impressive large market square with colourful Gothic and Baroque-style town houses.

We will definitely be visiting the Egerland again.

Tags: Mariánské Lázně, Egerland, Karlovy Vary, Cheb, Plzeň, Teplá, Loket