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* 23rd September 1901 – † 10th January 1986
„ No greater poet than Goethe has ever ambled the paths and pavements of this unique spa town, though I’d be as bold to say that prettier girls have promenaded here than his Ulrika Levetzow. This and many other reason give me the confidence to declare that Marienbad is the most beautiful of all the spas in the country, and one of the most attractive in the world…“.
Czech poet, author, journalist and translator, Nobel Prize winner in 1984. He visited Marienbad for medical reasons seven times between 1951 and 1975, on six occasions staying at the Balneological Research Institute in Ruská Street (today’s Falkensteiner).
He wrote two poems about Marienbad - the well-known "Elegy from Marienbad" (1962) part of a collection called "Casting the Bells", and the poem "The Cross Spring" dating from Christmas 1982, first published in the Hamelika magazine with the poet’s consent.
Excerpt from the poem “The Cross Spring”:
The spa belongs to the Virgin Mary.
We wish her well.
It's a little piece of paradise nonetheless.
Her rosary made of the silver
drops from the springs.
She smiles at the spa guests.
The Official Tourist Website for Marianske Lazne
