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9th July 1834 – 22nd August 1891
Czech poet, prose writer, journalist, playwright, literary and theater critic, a pioneer of critical realism, and a leading figure in the literary movement of the May School. After graduating from high school, he began studying at the law faculty but did not complete his studies due to financial reasons. He traveled extensively, visiting Paris, the Balkans, the Orient, Italy, and Germany. He became a journalist, working as a feuilletonist for the newspaper Čas, then for Hlas, and from 1865 in Národní listy. Jan Neruda was the most active member of the literary group that prepared the almanac Máj. In 1865, he founded and, until 1866, edited Květy with V. Hálek.
Thanks to his stay in Mariánské Lázně in 1872, interesting observations from our town have been preserved in his work. In his work "Northwest Spas," he describes Mariánské Lázně as follows: "The youngest of all the spas described so far are Mariánské, the youngest and the most beautiful. They lie so quietly in the lap of the mountains, so discreetly, so modestly. But one look and you are enchanted."
On the following pages, he describes the specifics of the local climate and spa life: "No one goes out without an umbrella; here, people don't say how many guests are in Mariánské Lázně this year, but rather: There are already over 5,300 umbrellas here. With an umbrella, you go to the springs, to the baths, to the gardens, to the forest, everywhere. In the forest, the path is full of crawling worms; on every twentieth tree, there is a simple Mariánské picture nailed, and - well, this is nice! - there are two trees by the roadside with a hammock hung in between, and in the hammock lies a person, snoring!"
"All strong people love life."
The Official Tourist Website for Marianske Lazne
