Drink cure

The alpha and omega of Karlovy Vary healing, the driving force of Karlovy Vary. The most important and most productive spring, which flows at a capacity of 2000l/min. If it were more, some of the springs located higher up would be threatened. If we imagine the Spring as a tree trunk, the other springs are branches of this tree. That is why it has happened several times in the past that other springs have lost their strength when the Vřídlo is in the bed of the Teplá River. The gushing of the Vřídla allows the outpouring of carbon dioxide gas. Today, the spring is used not only for drinking cures, baths and rinses, but also for the production of stone souvenirs.

It goes by an old tale that at this spring that Emperor Charles IV, the founder of our spas treated his injured limb. Regardless of whether this was true or not, this source ranks among the oldest traditional Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) drinking springs. The local inhabitants earlier termed it Fresser (Glutton). Above the spring bowl is a relief about the exploration of Karlovy Vary by Zörkler.

The Castle Spring (Schlossbrunn) was first discovered in 1769 at the Marketplace under the rock outcrop with the Castle Tower in the historical city centre of Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad). During the very cold winter of 1784 when all the drinking water in the town was frozen, the water from the Castle Spring was distributed through pipes to the public fountains. The popular stone lining of the distribution lines at the time subsequently gave a stimulus for chemical analysis of the spring, which was done at the time by Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) Dr. David Becher. Depending on the Hot Spring, it often stopped flowing because it is the highest situated spring, which sensitively responds to each interference with the natural mechanism in the entire hot spring structure.

In essence, it is a clever technical gimmick. The water is from the common well of the Lower Castle Spring, but is pumped up a narrow tube by gaseous carbon dioxide up to this point 1 metre above the level of the Hot Spring. On the way, the water somewhat cools down and therefore has different physical and chemical properties. The pavilion was built in 1912. The tapping of the Castle Springs is currently located in the basement corridor under the, so-called, Solar Yard and swimming pool area of the Castle Spas.

The current Market Spring was uncovered during building construction works at the site of the historical marketplace in April 1838. It got its name according to the Marketplace, which was the historical centre of our town. The spring quickly became very popular, certainly because of its location. Since then it has disappeared and reappeared several times. This was also the location of the town chemist’s shop in which chemist Jan Becher made the famous Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) Becher Liqueur (Becherovka) for the first time in 1809.

The Mill Spring was named according to the mill, which was located nearby on the bank of the Teplá River at the close of the 18 th century. The spring itself was already known in the 16 th century and was popularly used for bathing. In 1705, the famous Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) physician F. Hoffman recommended it for drinking therapy. The source is also very popular among clients because the spring is bottled and sold. Near the spring bowl of the Mill Spring is a granite plaque with the original Latin text “Ode to the Hot Spring” by Bohemian humanist Bohuslav Hasištejnský from 1500.

Today, nobody would even believe that this was the most popular spring in Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) in the 18th century, which in the course of time relinquished its place to another spring, the Mills Spring. The initial name was New Spring. Spa physicians treated patients directly at the site of the spring. One of the first was David Becher.

At the close of the 18 th century (1784), a small spring appeared on the slope of the cliff with the statue of St. Bernard. Till then, it was insignificant because the cliff was up to the channel of the Teplá River and the spring was often mixed with the river water and thus flowed away without any use. The spring was initially used to make spring salt. The Prince Wenceslas Spring as the only one can boast of two spring bowls. The thermal mineral water was a long time ago captured in two separate outflows. It currently comes from one source in spite of which there is a difference in the temperatures and yield of the spring. The reason is the longer route of the pipe to the spring bowl and although it is made of classic materials, it looks different from all the others. Concerning the carbon dioxide content, it is the same at both outlets - about 360 mg/l.

The name of this spring has changed several times in the past and it ranks among the oldest Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) springs. First mention dates back to the 16 th century. At the end of the 18 th century when the wooden colonnade of the New Spring was sited here. Till then the promenade area was swampy with small hot spring outflows and swampy surroundings full of snakes, frogs, and other amphibians. The spring was called the Garden Spring after the pavilions that used to protect it, then the Theresian Spring after the Empress Maria Theresia, the Elizabethan Spring after the then Empress Elisabeth, and after 1945 the Libuše Spring. An interesting fact about this spring was the difference in the temperatures of the water in the summer and in the winter, which was caused by the distance of the thermal spring source and the spring bowls from which its water is drunk.

This spring was not known at all until the mid-19th century. It was one of those springs that heated the river water. The local people bathed their horses in the river at the point where Bernard Cliff dropped to the river and they called it the Horse Spa. During the expansion of the promenade part and quarrying of the rock in 1845, the spring was tapped for the first time. Today the spring is covered by an extension from 1891, which follows the Mill Colonnade. The access to the spring bowl is protected by massive columns. Behind it is the exposed rock outcrop with prominent flaws and small outflows of plain water. It is a typical demonstration of the medium grainy muscovite-biotite Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) granite, which age is estimated at about 270 to 300 million years (Paleozoic, Carboniferous to Permian formation).

• Teplota: 63,2℃,
• Poloha: Pavilon u Mlýnské kolonády,
• Vydatnost: 4,8 l / min.

Pramen Svoboda, ač je od Vřídla vzdušnou čarou vzdálen asi 400 m, jeho teplota je poměrně vysoká (kolem 60°C). Pramen dostal původně název Lázeňský, protože byl objeven při hloubení základů Lázní III. Jelikož měl vysokou teplotu (cca 67°C) a byl vyveden přímo do Lázní III., užíval se ke koupelím. K pitné kúře ho začali lékaři používat v r. 1872. Jeho vydatnost však kolísala, nestačila k původnímu účelu, a proto byl vyveden do míst, kde nad ním r. 1891 byl postaven dřevěný osmiboký altán zdobený dřevořezbou. Pramen v té době byl také přejmenován dle tehdejšího císaře Františka Josefa I. Ten nesl až do r. 1946, kdy byl opět přejmenován na „Svoboda“.

• Teplota: 42,8℃,
• Poloha: Vojenský léčebný ústav u Sadové kolonády,
• Vydatnost: 2,2 l / min.

Sadový pramen patří k nejseverněji vyvěrajícím termálním pramenům zakončujícím tak zřídelní zlomovou linii. Pramen byl objeven při hloubení základů Vojenského lázeňského ústavu a zachycen dřevěnou jímkou byl roku 1854. Na počátku byla vydatnost pramene poměrně vysoká a terma tryskala do výšky 8 cm, ale bohužel vydatnost se snižovala i dnes má sklony k přerušovanému vývěru. Původní vývěr se nachází v suterénu lázní před sochou Víly léčivých pramenů. Pro větší pohodlí klientů byla vytvořena hned u vchodu do haly vedlejší váza.

• Teplota: 28,9℃,
• Poloha: Sadová kolonáda,
• Vydatnost: 1,0 l / min.

Jedná se o nejnovější karlovarský pramen vřídelní struktury, který byl až v srpnu roku 2001 zpřístupněn veřejnosti. Pramen se nachází v Sadové kolonádě v jejím západním rondelu. Do té doby v kolonádě žádný pramen nevyvěral. Pramen objevil koncem osmdesátých let dnes již minulého století hydrogeolog RNDr. Břetislav Vylita. Nazván byl podle tradičních hadích soch zdobících rotundu − Hadí. Terma toho pramene se poměrně liší od vody ostatních pramenů. Oproti nim má nižší mineralizaci 3 g/l, velice nízkou teplotu asi 30°C a velice vysoký obsah volně rozpuštěného oxidu uhličitého-přes 1600 mg/l.