The fountain in Karlovy Vary has made the city famous. Not every city has such a geyser and if the water from it is also healthy ….
A really ugly building immediately catches the eye in the middle of the beautiful old town of Karlovy Vary. The glazed reinforced concrete construction does not fit into the cityscape at all and so the Sprudel colonnades are hotly debated, but seen as a historical heritage on the banks of the Teplá River.
If you look back in the history of the city, you will learn that smaller and larger eruptions of the hot water masses occurred here early on. At first, only roofs and simple buildings were erected above the spring. The first colonnade was built in 1826. In 1879 it was replaced by a cast-iron construction, which had to be demolished in 1939 due to corrosion damage. A temporary wooden construction was finally replaced in 1975 with the present structure. Here, too, the first structural deficiencies became apparent; demolition was planned, but could not be implemented. It would have meant a new construction phase of about 10 years, which the city did not want. And so a lot of money was put into a renovation so that operation should be possible for another 15 years.
Initially, the geyser also bubbled inside the building. When the renovation work began, the fountain bowl was moved in front of the building.
The fountain
The geyser delivers about 2000 liters of mineral water to the earth’s surface per minute. The water is about 72 degrees hot and contains a lot of carbon dioxide. The water is very rich in minerals. It contains mainly the 3 minerals: calcite, aragonite, iron hydroxide.
If you stand in front of the building, you can experience the pressure with which the water shoots up into the air. One stands a fine spray cloud of the water fountain and even the temperature of the water can be felt.
Today the water of the spring is used for baths and drinking cures. If you are in the building of the Sprudel colonnades, you can take the water free of charge at several fontains. Here, each fontain has a different temperature, which ranges from 41 to 72.57 degrees.
Sightseeing: Discover the Sprudel in the underground
There is a possibility to take part in guided tours on the subject of sparkling water in Karlovy Vary. The ticket office is located on the second floor of the Sprudel colonnades. There should also be guided tours in German and English, during our visit only guided tours in Czech were on offer. However, since we were offered information flyers, this was not a problem.
The tour started in the building. In addition to a brief historical insight, a model was used to explain how the Sprudel was formed. I found it very interesting that today the water is brought to the surface through artificial boreholes. Before this way was chosen, the water used existing paths through the rock. These regularly closed with the mineral deposits and there were always small explosions that cleared the paths again.
Then we went down a staircase in front of the building. We were now standing below the building. Here the water is distributed in separators, the carbon dioxide is filtered out and the temperature is regulated. Some of the water is piped directly to some hotels and to the city’s fountains. Some of the water is also used to produce Karlovy Vary Sprudel salt.
In some places at the bottom you can see the water coming out of the rock. Some interesting formations are created when the minerals are deposited.
Down here, popular Karlovy Vary souvenirs are also created in the “petrification chambers”. The mineral-rich water sintered for example bottles or the popular Karolvy Vary rose. The rose is made of parchment and is placed on one of the many shelves for about a week. During this time the minerals settle. In order for the process to be nice and even, the rose is turned several times. After that it has to dry for about a week before it is sold as a souvenir.
I found it particularly impressive when we entered the riverbed through a small door. Here it was bubbling everywhere and the mineral-rich water had left a colorful “carpet”. In some places the hot water was steaming out of the pipes. I would like to see this at a colder time of the year. Whether the water vapor then settles in other places in the form of bizarre ice formations?
Offer of guidance:
May, June, September, October:
Thursday-Sunday: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
July, August:
Wednesday – Sunday: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
November – April:
Closed
The exact starting times for the tours can be found at the ticket office. The tour lasts about 30 minutes.
Opening hours Sprudel colonnades:
Monday-Friday: 9-17
Saturday, Sunday: 10-17
Price for the guided tour:
Adults: 190 CZK
Discounts are offered.
With the Karlovy VARY REGIO Card, participation in the tour is free of charge.
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