UNESCO World Heritage Site

After 10 years of intensive and difficult work on preparing the necessary documents, signing preliminary agreements, organising meetings and negotiations and drawing up joint plans, Mariánské Lázně was inscribed on the UNESCO list along with 10 other spa towns in Europe.

Mayor Martin Kalina noted that first and foremost the town must prepare for a gradual increase in the number of tourists, which Mariánské Lázně has been receiving in large numbers for a long time, which is a difficult task.

The inscription of the spa on the UNESCO list once again confirms the high value of the wealth we have here! These are mainly the healing mineral springs, of which there are about a hundred in the town and its surroundings, and about forty directly on the territory of the town. The springs vary in chemical composition and are rich in calcium, magnesium, iron, carbon dioxide or salt, and can thus help with various diseases.

Not surprisingly, the beauty of the springs and local nature has been described in the letters and works of world-famous writers who have always been frequent guests of Mariánské Lázně; for example, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Maxim Gorky, Mark Twain, Ivan Goncharov, Franz Kafka, Theodor Lessing, Josef Dobrovský, Jaroslav Seifert, Vladimír Páral and others.

All the spa resorts in the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Italy and Great Britain, newly inscribed on the UNESCO list, boast unique architecture. Our town boasts a world-famous colonnade, a singing fountain, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, or the Orthodox Church of St. Vladimir, which houses the only majolica iconostasis in the world.

These 11 spa towns have a rich history and a long tradition. Our town has been visited nine times by the British King Edward VII, whose 180th anniversary of birth we are celebrating this year. He dedicated these lines to our town: "I have travelled all over India, Ceylon, all the spa towns of Europe, but nowhere in the world has the poetry of beautiful nature caught my heart like here in Marianske Lazne." Thanks to Edward VII, we can still feel royal today at the Royal Golf Club, another of the city's silver treasures, founded by the King in 1905.

The town is rich in tradition, which is why at the height of the summer season you can hear classical music on the colonnade performed by the West Bohemian Symphony Orchestra, which celebrates its 200th anniversary this year. Spa guests are traditionally treated to water, air, beautiful nature, peaceful walks, unique balneological treatments and beautiful classical music that heals the soul.

UNESCO inscription is undoubtedly a high evaluation of our joint work and a new opportunity to attract tourists and spa guests, but it also brings with it a great obligation and certain requirements that must be met. Not only to maintain the established order, but also to continuously improve the quality of life of the citizens and visitors.