Spa houses (Kyselka)

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The ruined spa houses of Lázně Kyselka 2014
The rear spa houses 2014

The spa buildings of Kyselka is a group of multi-purpose buildings in the former spa town of Kyselka . The buildings used to contain a prestigious entrance hall, a ballroom, theater and concert hall, gaming room and restaurants. They played a decisive role in the health resort and were the urban and social center. They are among the most famous buildings in the Czech Republic . Although the buildings were part of the Czechoslovak State Baths from 1957 to 1990, they were not declared a monument until 2012 to 2014.

description

The spa houses in the village were built in different architectural styles and are the product of the mutual inspiration of the three largest population groups of that time; So the Czechs , the Jews and the Germans . Today the buildings form the largest group of houses in the health resort and the entire Kyselka municipality . Due to the years of neglect of the place, the spa houses have also partially collapsed. The facade is crumbling and some buildings no longer have a roof.

history

Picture from the spa town 1902

The discovery of the tasty mineral water around 1792/93 caused a new health resort to emerge in the surrounding countryside. Due to the growing popularity, the first small spa houses were built around 1810/20. But when the main sources of the water changed hands in 1867 and were bought by the Italian and German-born entrepreneur Heinrich von Mattoni (1830–1910), most of today's spa houses only began to develop. He started by filling the water in glass bottles and offered it first in Bohemia , later in the rest of Austria-Hungary and finally throughout Europe . In 1876 the Mattoni company had sold over a million bottles. With the massive profits from the sale and on the advice of Doctor Josef von Löschner , Mattoni bought the surrounding land; the place was greatly enlarged.

In 1894 Emperor Franz Joseph I visited the place. When the influx of guests reached its peak before the First World War, around 4,500 to 5,500 guests visited Mattoni's health resort. The influx dropped sharply from 1918 and did not peak again until 1928. Due to the Munich Agreement , the number of visitors fell sharply and until 1945 most of the guests stayed away. From 1946 and 1947 the place was mainly visited by Russian and Ukrainian guests. After that, the flow of visitors completely stopped and the houses fell apart, but this process could be delayed by the other residents and is now partly a salvation for some spa houses that would otherwise not have survived. Today there are no more spa guests.

The Association for the Preservation and Development of Cultural Heritage (ASORKD) decided on February 13, 2011 to start a campaign to save Kyselka and was responsible for the expropriation of the buildings. Subsequently, public collections of money and government subsidies began to save the place. In 2012, the movement managed to collect 27,000 signatures, attracting attention for the first time since the 1970s. Support was also collected through media strategy, and the KMV company helped with a financial donation. But the ASORKDU faced further challenges. When President Václav Klaus visited the site, he refused nationalization, which was another burden. Over time, however, the public will to save grew strongly, and famous personalities such as the actor and director Ladislav Smoljak or ombudsman Otakar Mattoni , Mattoni's great-grandson, visited the place. The reconstruction was officially decided in 2013, with only a few buildings to be reconstructed and the rest to be demolished. In the end, this plan was abandoned and, thanks to the many sponsors, all buildings are now being reconstructed.

gallery

literature

  • Anton Gnirs : Topography of the historical and art-historical monuments in the Karlsbad district. (Prague 1933) (= Handbook of Sudeten German Cultural History. Volume 8). Published by the Collegium Carolinum, Obtained by Anna Gnirs. Oldenbourg, Munich 1996, ISBN 3-486-56170-7 , p. 39.

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