Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov

* 6th June 1812 – † 18th June 1891
"Beauty is only necessary where there is no love. When there is love, beauty plays no role."
Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov was a Russian author who visited Marienbad eleven times in total. The first time was in 1857 when he was 45. He stayed at the Hotel "Pomněnka" ("Vergißmeinnicht", today’s Jalta on Hlavní Avenue). He later stayed at the Brusel on Mírové Square where there is a plaque commemorating the fact. His first stay in 1857 was the most significant, as it was at that time he finished the novel Oblomov. It was here he gained inspiration for Olga, the heroine of the novel. In the summer of 1860 Marienbad got Goncharov’s creative juices flowing to such an extent that he was able to put together the plot of another great novel, one which later appeared under the famous title "The Precipice".