Mariánské Lázně, CZECH REPUBLIC, Grand Harmony with Nature

Mariánské Lázně, the 'spa in the park' is an early nineteenth century ‘new (spa) town’ in the ‘West Bohemian Spa Triangle’, and makes a significant contribution to the innovative historic urban landscape of The Great Spa Towns of Europe. From the 1870s it gained an international reputation as a meeting place of royal families and the aristocracy, a venue for important global political negotiations, for scientific gatherings, and as a place of inspiration for high-art. Prolific mineral springs provide a focus for the Central Park and a diverse neoclassical ensemble of outstanding nineteenth and early twentieth century spa buildings, including pavilions, an iconic colonnade and the 'singing fountain'. Springs rise in a swathe of wooded hills with therapeutic and recreational trails. Mariánské Lázně remains a significant centre of European balneotherapy - ‘taking the cure’ in original spa buildings with preserved interiors and equipment.