J. G. Sommer (1847), "Kingdom of Bohemia", vol. 15, pp. 229-255
Translation Copyright 2001 by Urs Geiser - All rights reserved

Royal City Karlsbad, Including Estate Donitz [1])

The royal city of Karlsbad, or Kaiser-Karlsbad (Karoly Wary, Thermae Carolinae), in older documents also Warmbad, along with the estate Donitz that belongs to the city, is situated in the eastern portion of the district, on both sides of the Eger river. The borders of the entire area are in the north with the dominions of Tüppelsgrün and Dallwitz, in the east and southeast the dominion Gießhübel, in the south the dominion Petschau, in the southwest the estate Aicha, and in the west the dominion Elbogen.

The usable areas are according to the Katastral-Zergliederungs-Summarium [official land use summary]:

The surface of the are on the right shore of the Eger, which is transected by the valley of the Tepel [river], is mountainous. The city itself is situated in this valley, between the Hammerberg, the Hirschenstein, and the Bernard's Rock on the left, and by the Tappenberg (or Laurenzberg), Buchenberg, and Galgenberg on the right side of the Tepel. Among these mountains, the Dreikreuz-Berg, the highest summit of the Buchenberg, has an elevation of 292.20 Par. Klft. (or 115.70 P.Kl. above the level of the Tepel; according to Hallaschka). The highest mountain, however, is the Amberg, situated southwest and at some distance from the city, in the forest tract Stadtgut. From its summit one looks over all the other mountains on both sides of the Tepel, in one direction as far as Engelhaus, in the other to Schlaggenwald. Less important high points are the Steinberg, on the left shore of the Tepel not far from its confluence [with the Eger], and the Tafelberg.

The rock types that compose the above-mentioned elevations are, in part coarse, in part fine grained granite, which is exposed especially on the slopes of the Tepel valley in picturesque masses. The coarse-grained granite is found primarily on the left, the fine-grained on the right side of the valley, but both varieties are interspersed in several locations, and some masses of the fine-grained variety are also completely surrounded by coarse-grained material. In several places, seams of porphyry and flint are found in the fine-grained granite. A strange precipitate of coarse-grained granite with very pure feldspar is found in the Dorotheen-Aue. Below the city, at the exit of the Tepel valley, one finds a deposit of younger sandstone of the lignite formation; however, granite still appears on the left side of the Eger near Trawitz and Weheditz, furthermore near Fischern. Between Fischern and Roßnitz a small basalt butte rises. Otherwise, the valley area is covered with alluvial deposits, and in these, within the city itself, the strange products of the hot springs, i.e., sintered limestone, pea-stone, and lime tuff, are found.

The Eger River flows through the area, coming from the Elbogen dominion, from west-southwest to east-northeast and exits into the estate Dalwitz. At the bridge not far above the confluence of the Tepel, its elevation above sea level is 184.75 Par.Kl. (according to Hallaschka). Not far north of the city, it receives the Tepel (Töpel) River, which comes from the south out of the Petschau dominion. The latter has an elevation above sea level of 176.50 Par.Kl. Both rivers are subject to great flooding at times, and they, but particularly the Tepel with little room for lateral expansion, cause sudden and disastrous floods. (See below in the historical notes.) On the left side, the Eger receives Chodau Creek and Rohlau Creek.

The ponds are: Near Fischern, the Kreuzteich, Peintteich, and Mühlteich; near Roßnitz, the Mitterteich, Tumtum-Teich, Steinteich, Thonsel-Teich, and Neuteich; near Weheditz two small ponds, named Weheditz Ponds; near Ober-Maierhöf, the Obermaierhöf Pond; and near Donitz, the two Leonhardt's Ponds. From these ponds, carp and pike are extracted. The Eger also yields carp and pike, and the other creeks trout (especially nice ones in the Tepel).

The most important waters are the mineral springs that will be described below in detail with the topography of the city. At the same time, the city lacks a good source of fresh drinking water. With few exceptions, the well water has a tepid and unpleasant taste. Since 1836, the ordinary use of the households are served by a water pipeline that leads the water through clay pipes from springs behind the Jägersaal and the tile factory Klein-Versailles into a large stone basin on the market square. Furthermore, three more water pipes already existed earlier: from the forest tract Sooß, from the Postlohe, and from the Kohllohe, into the same number of water boxes in the city.

The number of inhabitants is 4401, 3395 in the city and 1006 in the villages. Among them are 12 Protestant families -- The predominant language is German.

Income and nourishment flow (here, literally) from the mineral kingdom. The mineral springs are true sources of income. Not only the rich proceeds of the house rent, but also almost the entire flourishing commercial industry of the city, and largely also the utilization of the agricultural products of the villagers are based on the beneficent waters that here flow out of the womb of the earth.

Agriculture and cattle raising are the main sources of income only for the villagers. Among the trades one finds here only the most indispensable ones. Furthermore, cartage, lumber, and employment in mining and in factories of neighboring dominions yield some extra income.

The principal components of the soil are clay and silica, occasionally disrupted by gravel deposits and bare rock. The fertility is partly average, partly poor. Winter and summer rye, barley, oats, a little wheat, furthermore much potatoes, cabbage, beets, and flax are grown. The meadows along the Eger River suffer from the floods, as this river deposits more gravel and rubble, rather than fertile loam.

The livestock numbers were on 30 April 1837:

Furthermore, much fowl, esp. chicken, are raised.

The only dominical dairy farm (in Donitz) is leased on term along with the sheep farm that belongs to it.

The forests, which are organized since 1834, cover the mountains and rises nearest to the city. They are divided into three tracts, whereof the largest, the so-called Stadtgut south of the city and on the left shore of the Tepel, amounts to 1126 Joch 277 sq.Kl. and consists of spruce, fir, and a smaller number of pines. The tract Sooß encompasses the Buchenberg, from the Dreikreuzberg in the east as far as the Blue Mountain on the right side of the Tepel, and it amounts to 386 Joch 1408 sq.Kl. and consists of deciduous and evergreen trees. The tract Blauen contains spruce and fir, along with a small amount of beech, on 241 Joch 444 sq.Kl. Finally, one needs to mention the Hochberg of 55 Joch 741 sq.Kl., with a thin pine shrubbery. The annual yield consists of 1653.76 Lower Austrian Klafter of soft wood and 55 7/16 Klafter of hard wood, and it only satisfies the demand of the authorities for Deputate [?] and the civic brewery. Violent storms have caused much devastation in the woods from time to time. In particular, in 1834 more than 2900 Klafter were laid down. The citizens and subject own only insignificant forests.

Also the game numbers are of no importance. The hunt is leased from time to time.

Among the direct income of the city community, as authorities, are:

(1) the so-called Kurtaxe [resort tax], owed by every resort guest using the springs, of 2 fl or 1 fl. depending on circumstances.

(2) The sale of the Karlsbad salt or the salt that is produced by the evaporation of the mineral water (sodium sulfate with some sodium and lithium carbonate etc.); Dr. Berger, personal physician of King Friedrich August I of Poland etc. etc. showed already in 1708 that a laxative salt may be produced from the mineral water. In 1732, a candidate of medicine, by the name of Berries, later professor in Halle, taught the Karlsbad dye master Richter the preparation of this salt, who received a [noble] privilege from Emperor Karl VI for that and for its sale. Later, in 1767 and 1769, the preparation method was improved by Dr. Becher to that still in use today.2 It occurs (in winter) by means of 23 larger and 69 smaller buckets that are placed near the mineral spring such that they are immersed to the rim into streaming hot mineral water. The brine that is formed by the natural evaporation of the water is then poured into large vats and placed in a cool location, where the salt precipitates by repeated crystallization. Annually, one produces 4 hundredweight that are sold partially by the pound in larger quantities, partially in smaller amounts in the pharmacies.3

(3) The export of mineral water, started in recent years. It extends over water from all springs. Annually, already 130,000 pitchers (in 1846, 107,557 pitchers through 20 September) are delivered. This enterprise is leased to four Karlsbad citizens who have formed branches in all principal cities of the monarchy and even abroad.

(4) The proceeds of the Reluition [sublease?] of two thirds of the subjects' Robot [? -- certainly not what the English meaning of the word], existing since 1833. The entire Robot consists of 3562 two-horse cartage and 4937 1/3 hand days, from which 2374 two-horse cartage days at 14 kr. and 3020 hand days at 3 kr. were remunerated in currency, plus from another 364 hand days at 6 kr. C.M., for an annual income of 741 fl. 20 kr. C.M. into the city coffers. [This paragraph is somewhat mysterious. It appears to be a franchise for some sort of transportation.]

(5) The beer kreuzer, consisting of a fee of 1 kr. W.W. for every Maß of brewed beer by the citizenry, or 58 fl. 40 kr. W.W. for everything brewed.4

At the end of 1845, he civic trade industry of the city included 581 masters, some in guilds and some not, and other owners who together with 154 fellows and 281 apprentices and other aides operated the police, commercial, and free trades and commerce. Among them were 1 factory for gallantry [luxury?] furniture and 1 factory for wallpaper and papier mâché articles, both with simple license. With regard to the other individual trades one counted: (a) police trades: 33 bakers, 1 brewer, 20 beer sellers, 1 book printer, 1 book seller (also owner of a loan library), 4 coopers, 25 butchers, 3 gardeners, 27 innkeepers, 10 glaziers, 13 Hökler [Höker = peddler], 5 coffee sellers, 3 lacquerers, 23 coachmen (long distance and for hire), 2 candymakers, 2 masons (52 fellows), 1 miller, 1 fruit seller, 1 wigmaker, 3 milliners, 1 chimney sweep, 7 locksmiths, 4 blacksmiths, 29 tailors, 42 shoemakers, 3 soap makers, 1 stone mason, 45 furniture makers, 6 restaurant owners, 4 wine sellers, 2 game [meat] sellers, 1 tile maker, 1 tile roofer, 4 carpenters (34 fellows), and 4 sweetbakers; (b) commercial trades: 3 bookbinders, 7 gunsmiths, 1 file maker, 3 brass founders, 10 gold and silver workers, 1 belt maker, 9 glove makers, 2 hat makers, 3 comb makers, 3 plumbers, 2 furriers, 1 coppersmith, 4 tanners, 20 knife makers, 27 needle makers, 1 needle smith, 1 paper maker, 4 haberdashers, 4 saddle makers, 1 Schönfärber [dyer of sorts], 2 armorers, 1 roper, 5 seal carvers, 2 potters, 2 cloth cutters, 3 watchmakers, 1 candle puller, 3 wainwrights, 2 white tanners [deerskin], 3 weavers, 17 tin founders; (c) free trades: 1 cotton goods dealer, 14 billiards keepers, 4 Büchsenschäfter [gunstock makers?], 1 can maker, 1 ditto (in papier mâché), 1 ditto (specializing in ornamentation with mineral deposits, seashells, etc.), 5 turners, 1 turned wood dealer, 1 grain dealer, 3 instrument makers, 10 bakers of kolacky and wafers, 2 leather dealers, 2 linen dealers, 1 cutlery dealer, 1 needle dealer, 1 paper dealer, 1 fur dealer, 1 porcelain painter, 2 china and stoneware dealers, 1 Rosoglio maker, 1 dealer in cut cloth, 1 dealer in cut and uncut cloth, 1 soap and candle dealer, 1 seller of serpentine [a stone] articles, 3 lace dealers, 1 dealer in stone from the mineral springs, 1 manufacturer of goods of said stone, 1 steel worker, 1 steel goods dealer, 10 Stechvieh butchers, 1 maker of straw hats, 1 dealer of knit stockings, 1 wallpaper worker, 2 bag makers, 1 bag dealer, 3 transporters of goods, and 3 interior painters; (d) commerce: 13 owners of mixed goods stores.

The tradesmen in the villages included 7 beer sellers, 1 innkeeper, 1 Hökler, 10 coachmen, 2 milers, 2 saddle makers, 2 blacksmiths, 2 tailors, 3 shoemakers, and 1 wainwright.

The city has privileges for two annual markets (Monday after Cantate [4th Sunday after Easter] and Monday before St. Michael's [29 September]), 1 weekly market (every Thursday), and 1 cattle market (last Monday in June). At the annual markets, cut and gallantry articles along with other manufactured goods of many kinds are sold in 10 vaults, 100 booths, and 150 stands. The weekly markets are supplied by the surrounding villages and dominions, even from the Saaz and Pilsen districts, with cereals, firewood, vegetables, poultry, and all kinds of groceries. -- The cattle markets are lightly attended.

The health personnel includes: 13 doctors of medicine and spa physicians (among them 1 city physician with salary of 400 fl. C.M. from the city income), 7 surgeons and obstetricians (among them the city surgeon with salary of 100 fl. C.M. from the city income), 2 pharmacists, 1 veterinarian, 1 horseshoe smith, and 5 midwives (including 1 city midwife, with salary of 7 fl. C.M. and a Natural Deputat [?]).

The poor and sick, not only local ones but also foreigners, are provided well by 5 city social institutions.

The poorhouse, founded already in 1785 by the magistrate and reorganized in 1835 according to the new regulations, had an endowment of 5270 fl. 33 1/2 kr. and 357 fl. 18 1/4 kr. C.M. in cash at the end of 1845. The income during the same year from capital interest, taxes, percentages, voluntary contributions by the tourists etc. amounted to 2666 fl. 1/2 kr. C.M., and the number of indigents supported by alms was 128.

Apart from the support received by the indigents from the above-mentioned institution, there is an additional benevolent foundation with independent accounting. The teacher of French, Ignaz Lösch, who died on 23 November 1823 in Karlsbad, designated in his will, dated the 12th of the same month, the poorhouse as the principal heir of his entire property.5 At the end of 1845, the endowment of this foundation was 9300 fl. 37 kr. C.M., the cash on hand 336 fl. 37 kr. C.M., and its income in the same year 323 fl. 37 kr. C.M.

The poor people hospital of the Holy Spirit was originally founded already in 1531 by Count Albrecht von Schlick, who had built a hospital for poor sick people next to the slaughterhouse. In 1549 King Ferdinand I donated to this hospital the cereal tax that was normally for the royal care, along with 8 Strich fields, 12 Tagwerk meadows, and a sum of 350 fl. in cash. In 1821 the extremely dilapidated hospital building was sold for 17,880 fl. W.W., and the current new building next to the Eger Road, number 487, was built. The endowment of the institution at the end of 1845 was 9305 fl. 53 kr. C.M., cash on hand 468 fl. 44 1/4 kr., and the income of the same year from capital interest and lease shilling of the real estate was 894 fl. 22 1/2 kr. C.M. Nine beneficiaries (3 male and 6 female) currently receive free room and heat, doctor's care in case of illness, drugs and nursing care, and a stipend of 46 fl. C.M. for living costs. Furthermore, another 7 poor people ("Herbergsgenossen") receive free lodging at the hospital but only receive the usual alms from the poorhouse. The patronage is with the magistrate.6

For foreign indigents, there exists a proper spa hospital, to whose foundation the imperial Russian senator Count Ilinsky contributed 1000 fl. in 1798, and His late Majesty Emperor Franz I the sum of 5000 fl. in 1804, as well as the Posthof along with all the properties belonging to the it. Soon the foundation had grown by other substantial donations to the extent that in 1806 the construction of the hospital adjacent to the Bernardsfelsen [cliff] on the left shore of the Tepel River was started under the guidance of the spa physician Dr. Bernard Mitterbacher. With the help of later generous donations it was completed in a few years. In the summer of 1812 one was able to accept the first indigent resort visitors, numbering 84, into the new hospital.7 The endowment of this institution, whose current director is the spa physician Dr. Joseph Wagner, at the end of 1845 was 13,700 fl. C.M., the income in the same year 1660 fl. 25 kr. C.M., and the number of accepted and treated patients 176 (123 male and 53 female).

Finally, in the years 1832 to 1836 a hospital for local trades fellows and servants was constructed. Apart from the city community, which donated the construction materials for free, the guilds also contributed by donating the salaries. In addition, numerous voluntary donations by the spa visitors, among them in 1834 a gift of 400 fl. C.M. by the Duke of Cambridge, concerts by foreign artists etc. etc. all made possible the foundation of this benevolent institution.8 At the end of 1845 its endowment was 2115 fl. C.M., and the income increased in the same year to 559 fl. 34 1/2 kr. C.M. 100 patients (56 male and 44 female) were accepted.

(Private foundations are the spa for k.k. officers, founded in 1839 by the archbishop of Erlau, Pyrker, and the Israelite hospital, still in the process of being established. See below.)

The connection between Karlsbad and its surrounding is facilitated by paved roads and good wagon trails. Foremost among them, the Eger postal and commercial road leads through Karlsbad and Fischern from the Gießhübel dominion to Elbogen. The portion touching Karlsbad, built in 1804 to 1806 at state's expense, from Bergdörfel (Gießhübel dominion) to the northern edge of the city is one of those colossal masterpieces of road construction, of which the countries of the Austrian empire exhibit so many. From the mountain inn (in Berdörfel), 117.5 Par.Kl. above the Tepel confluence, the thoroughly fortified road winds along the slopes and rocky cliffs of the Buchenberg in several hairpin turns down to the city at the upper end of Prague Street, then runs more straight behind the city along the slope of the Dreikreuz- and Galgenberg with a few more hairpin turns to the Wiesenthal and the northern end of the city, crosses the Tepel River on the Franzensbrücke [bridge] where the paved road into the inner city branches off, and then continues over the Eger bridge to Fischern. Beyond the Eger bridge, the Schlackenwerth Road, and from the latter to the left the Neudeck Road, branch off. All of these roads (the latter two insofar as they lead through the present dominion) were built in 1804 at the expense of the city. In order to shorten the entrance into the city and to avoid the Prague Street, which due to its steepness was difficult for carts to maneuver, the Helenenstraße [road or street], leading down from the road toll building left over the Tappenberg in an arch, was built in 1834. The slope of both the Prague main road to the mountain inn and the Helenenstraße is so slight that a light coach can ascend it in trot. Furthermore, this road yields upon descending the best views over the Tepel valley and the city, changing almost every moment as a consequence of the serpentine turns. Not unjustified, the well-known author Mrs. Schopenhauer says: "It is worth the effort to travel to Karlsbad every year just to arrive there."9 On the other hand, the view of the colossal work when viewed from the depth of the Tepel valley, in the vicinity of the Posthof where it can be seen in almost its entire extent, stirs feelings of highest admiration and joyful awe.

In addition, a paved road was built since 1808 in a southerly direction through the Tepel valley to the village Hammer (Pirkenhammer) in the Petschau dominion, which continues from there through Petschau to Marienbad and is also a postal road. A good Halbchaussee ["half-paved" road] leads from Hammer to Aich, and a road of the same kind from Karlsbad through Donitz, and one can also reach the Gießhübel Buchsäuerling [a mineral spring] near Rodisfurt (see above, p. 162) from Karlsbad over a comfortable wagon trail.

For the pedestrians for whom exercise of the body during the visit at the spa is a daily need, the climbing of rises and mountains around the city is facilitated by numerous, very comfortably built and always well maintained hiking and walking trails. The first installation of this kind was the Chotek trail of 1756 (see below). Most of them, however, are thanks to the rich Scotsman Lord Findlater, who visited Karlsbad every summer starting in 1793 until his death in Dresden, and whose memory is perpetuated not only by numerous beautifications of the surroundings of the city but also by substantial donations to the social institutions. The upkeep and the growth of the trail system has been greatly helped by the following: Oberstburggraf [highest administrator of Bohemia]Count Johann Rudolph von Chotek, Count Franz Anton Kolowrat-Liebsteinsky and Count Karl von Chotek, the Elbogen district superintendents Ritter von Stahl and Baron Karg von Bebenburg, as well as the current mayor, Lenhart.

Karlsbad has a k.k. military letter and coach post office.

The city is located (according to David) at 50°13'38" northern latitude and 30°32'47" eastern longitude, 177.12 Par.Kl. over the level of the North Sea (142 Par.Kl. according to the Saxonian geognostic map), 16 postal miles (in straight line 15 geographical miles) west-northwest of Prague, and 2 1/4 hours northeast of Elbogen, on both sides of the deeply cut valley of the Tepel, 1/4 hour above the confluence of the Tepel with the Eger. It contains 558 houses with 3395 inhabitants, whereof 12 Protestant families, and has 1 Dechanteikirche [Dean's church] of St. Mary Magdalene, 1 funeral church of St. Andrew the Apostle, 1 open prayer chapel, 1 dean's rectory, 1 school, 1 city hall, 1 administration building, 1 brewery (24 barrels), 1 k.k. post office, 2 pharmacies, 1 theater, 1 k.k. officers' bathhouse, 2 hospices, 1 hospital, 10 warm mineral springs, 3 public (city) and several private bathing institutions, 3 hotels, 6 restaurants, 27 [other] restaurants, coffee shops, and beer taverns, 1 paper mill, and 2 grain mills. Separate are (a) the Wiesenthal, a park with coffee shop and billiards; (b) the civic Schießhaus [or shooting range] on the Steinberg, with parks; (c) the inns Zum Russischen Lager [Russian camp], City of Schneeberg, and City of Lübeck, along the road to Eger; (d) the tavern Klein-Versailles; (e) the Jägersaal [hunters' hall] (forester's apartment); (f) the (cold) sour spring; (g) the Posthof, and (h) the Freundschaftssaal [friendship hall], both left of the Tepel and along the road to Hammer. Farther away in the forest tract Stadtgut are (i) the ruins of the ancient village Thiergarten (Wary) and (k) the decayed St. Leonard chapel. (See below in the historical notes.)

In old times the city was surrounded by walls, but already in 1570 only small remainders of these were to be seen. It also had four gates, only two of which (the Prague and the Eger gates) existed in 1789, as is shown in the map (Tab. III) added to the classic work by Dr. Becher.10 These two have also disappeared in the mean time. The overall narrow valley of the Tepel river widens most in the vicinity of the Sprudel [mineral spring], opposite which is located the market square with the Schloßberg, the city tower, and the city hall. Besides this main square, the church square, the theater square, and the Mühlbad square are to be noted. Among the 15 city streets, the most beautiful and the liveliest is the so-called Alte Wiese, after that the Neue Wiese, located opposite from the former, the Kirchengasse, the Sprudelgasse, the Kreuzgasse, and the Mühlbad-Gasse. Added to these in recent years were the new routing of the Eger road on the western end, and the Marienbader road formed by the extension of the former Bräuhausgasse [brewery street] at the southern end of the city. In the older city part, the nicest private buildings are found at the market square, on the Schloßberg, and on the Neue and the Alte Wiese. Almost all have their own names, which formerly were shown on a special sign. Most are two or three stories high and built of stone; even the wooden ones have a pleasant front, so that the unremarkable part is only seen from the heights on their rear sides. The least pleasant streets appear to be the Andreasgasse and the Geweidiggasse, which are also very cumbersome to climb and with few exceptions are only equipped to host poorer tourists. By the way, all streets are well paved and well illuminated at night. Between 1816 and 1827 the streets were lit only in the summer months; in the latter year, illumination was introduced also for the winter months.

Of the four bridges, the Karlsbrücke (named in honor of the Archduke Karl) is located above the city, near the Dorotheen-Aue. It was built in 1801. The Hammer road leads over this bridge from the right to the left shore of the Tepel. In the city proper are the Johannisbrücke (with a statue of St. John of Nepomuk) and the Mühlbad-Brücke, at the northern end of the city the (Emperor) Franzens-Brücke. The latter was newly built entirely of stone, consisting of a single arch, in the years 1825 and 1826, in the place of an previously existing bridge that was destroyed in the flood of 9 September 1821. In addition to these four bridges suitable for carts and riders, the following sufficiently wide pedestrian bridges, secured on both sides with railings, serve for the connection between the Tepel shores on foot: (a) at the Saxonian Hall; (b) a little further downriver, at the Melon; (c) at the theater; (d) at the Sprudel ("Sprudelsteg"); (e) at the slaughterhouse; (f) at the Bernard rock ("Spitalsteg"); and (g) at the mill, further downriver toward the Franzensbrücke.

The current Dechanteikirche [dean's church] was built completely anew in the years 1732 to 1736 at the expense of the order of the Knights of the Holy Cross with the Red Star, and with support in the amount of 1000 ducats by Emperor Karl VI, by the famous architect Kilian Dienzenhofer. During the city fire of 1759 it lost the bells and the steeple clock, which were replaced in 1762 at the expense of Empress Maria Theresia, though. Already the earlier church, until the 15th century a branch of the Zettlitz parish, had become a victim of flames in 1604, but was soon rebuilt. The patronage is owned, documented since 1493, by the order of the Knights of the Holy Cross, and since 1698 jointly with the magistrate in such way that upon the opening of a clerical position the General Grandmaster of the order proposes three candidate priests from the order. Among these, the magistrate elects one who is then presented to the Consistorium of the prince archbishop for confirmation.11 Apart from the dean, currently two chaplains are employed, and other than Karlsbad, the villages Donitz, Drahwitz, Fischern, Ober- and Unter-Maierhöfen of the present dominion, and the foreign Bergdörfel (Gießhübel dominion) are in the parish. Between 1554 and 1624 the church was under the administration of Lutheran ministers. The oldest existing records start around 1569. The dean's rectory was established in 1756.

The school has two boys' and two girls' classes, taught by 4 teachers and 1 aide. Concerning the teachers, it too is under the joint patronage of the Knights of the Cross and the magistrate. The current building, one of the foremost jewels of the city, was completely rebuilt from the ground up in 1832 to 1832 on the former so-called Langer Weg, now called Schulgasse, at the joint expense of the city community, as the authorities, and the citizenry in particular, in the amount of 8842 fl. C.M.

The church of St. Andrew is situated high at the upper end of the Andreasgasse, at the cemetery, and it serves as a funeral church to hold requiem masses. It is said to have been built around the year 1500 by the Elbogen chamberlain Stephan von Branden. A valuable altar painting representing St. Andrew is attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. The cemetery, where also Protestants are buried,12 exists since 1784. Before then, the bodies were buried at the burial place next to the church. It also contains several notable gravestones; prominently among those, that of Dr. Becker, who died on 7 February 1792, deserves not to be overlooked.

The chapel of St. Mary, behind the Alte Wiese, in the woods, was donated in 1700 by a Count of Sternberg.

The city hall, at the market square, was rebuilt in 1777, after it burned down in 1759. On the front facade it contains the Karlsbad coat-of-arms, a white half lion standing on three feet, in a red field. The stone statue of Emperor Karl IV on the right side of the city hall was erected in 1739 by the k.k. Appellationsrath [?] von Schuppig of Prague at his own expense. Behind city hall, the city tower rises, which was built in 1608 in the place of the castle that was built by Karl IV in 1364 and that was donated to the city by Maximilian II. It contains the apartment of a tower watchman who is required to beat the hours on a separate bell after the church clock and to give the usual fire alarms on another.

The administration building, in the Mühlbadgasse, was built in 1821 and 1822. It contains the economic, pension, and tax offices, and the apartment of the Amtmann [county supervisor] and the Waisenrechnungsführer [orphanage accountant] etc. etc.

The k.k. post office is at the market square, opposite from city hall; it was formerly a private property, but was purchased along with the so-called Posthof (along the road to Hammer), which belongs to it, in 1801 by the k.k. government.

The theater was built in the years 1787 and 1788 by the city community from the proceeds of the sale of mineral salt ("fructibus salis", as the Latin inscription says somewhat ambiguously).

Among the warm mineral springs, which are no other than the effluents of one large mass of water that takes up a large portion of a subterranean chamber, over which the city is built, the Sprudel, on the right shore of the Tepel, pretty much in the middle of the city opposite from the market square, excels. Like the adjacent Hygieensquelle [spring], its temperature is 59 to 60 °R [165 to 167°F], it delivers the largest amount of water, and it is the main spring that brought Karlsbad its existence and fame. A covered hall with columns protects the drinkers from the influence of the weather. Opposite from it, separated only by a small garden-like free space, is the Sprudel bathhouse whose upper floor contains a nice hall. The Sprudel has changed its location several times over the course of time. Connected with the Hygieensquelle is a steam bath, and in 1836 peat baths were also developed. (See village Drahowitz below.)

On the left shore of the Tepel, near and behind the city hall and on the side of the Schloßberg is the Schloßbrunnen [castle spring] with a temperature of 40°R [122°F], farther below at the market square, the Marktbrunnen (46°R [136°F]), and further below on the same side of the Tepel near each other are the Mühlbrunnen (45°R), the Neubrunnen (48-49°R [140-142°F]), the Bernards-Brunnen (55.5-57°R [157-160°F]), the so-called (in 1798 in honor of the second spouse of His late Majesty Emperor Franz II) Theresien-Brunnen (43 to 44°R [129-131°F]), and the Spitalbrunnen (45-46°R [133-136°F]).13 Very recently, also the spring in the house Zur Russian Krone [Russian Crown] has been added to the number of utilized therapeutic springs.

Opposite from the Mühlbrunnen is the Mühl bathhouse, newly built in 1828, which contains on the ground floor the baths and on the upper floor since 1830 a reading room for German, French, and English newspaper, at the order of the Oberstburggraf Count von Chotek. On the northern wall of the ground floor, one reads on a marble plate in gold letters the famous Latin poem of praise by Bohuslaw Lobkowitz von Hassenstein from the 15th century, In Thermas Caroli IV.

All springs are covered either by temple roofs or by halls with columns, and at the Neubrunnen there is a spacious ambulatory that has now been remodeled and tastefully appointed. -- The Theresien-Brunnen, on the slope of the Schloßberg, is surrounded with park-like gardens. Next to the Spitalbrunnen is the Fremden-Spital [hospital for foreigners] whose baths are fed only by this spring. Apart from these springs, there are also a few unused ones in private houses, e.g., in the Golden Apple, Wild Duck, Red Star, etc. etc. Also within the river, numerous air bubbles and the ice-free state of the water in winter reveal the presence of such springs. Even in the valley where the distant Little Versailles is, the ground has so much warmth that the snow doesn't stay.14

It is to note that originally and probably into the 16th century, the water was used only for bathing, as indicated by the name of the city. Only around the year 1521, when Wenzel Payer wrote his work about Karlsbad, the drinking therapy seems to have been used more often. Fabian Summer speaks of over 200 baths in 1571.

Besides the present public baths, at the Sprudel and the Mühl bath, there are several private baths in the Sprudel- and Kirchgasse, with well equipped baths for use by the tourists.

The solid components of the warm springs are pretty much all the same. According to Berzelius, in 1000 parts by weight there are about 5 1/2 parts of such components, whereof Glauber salt (or sodium sulfate) constitutes almost half. The balance consists mainly of sodium carbonate and chloride, and of calcium carbonate. The differences are almost entirely in the temperature. Only the Schloßbrunnen differs from the other warm springs in a somewhat lesser solids content and a larger amount of free carbonic acid [carbon dioxide].

With regard to the water quantities of the springs, here too the Sprudel is in the lead; it yields per minute 25.74 Lower Austr. buckets, the Hygieens-Quelle yields 8.93 buckets, but all other springs (that have been measured) together only yield 1.62 buckets. The yet unmeasured, and in part impossible to measure, side effluents may be estimated at 1.71 buckets, such that the total amount of all springs is 38 buckets per minute, 2280 per hour, 54,720 per day, or 19,972,800 buckets (or, according to Berzelius, 25,791,257 Viennese cubic feet) per year.15 If one assumes that annually, including the Karlsbad inhabitants themselves, about 6000 persons use the drinking therapy, that each of these drinks 10 beakers a day for an average duration of 30 days, this amounts to 1,800,000 beakers (at ca. 1/3 Seidel) or 600,000 Seidel, or 3750 buckets. The amount used in addition for the baths, for evaporation, for special soups, for the brewing of poultry [prior to plucking], etc. is probably no more than 500 buckets, and the bottled water perhaps another 500 buckets. Even then, the total amount of utilized water does not exceed 5000 buckets, or 1/3994 of the total, and therefore 19,967,800 buckets flow unused into the Tepel and the Eger or evaporate in the atmosphere. The weight of the entire amount of spring water per year, according to Berzelius and Ryba, is 20,277,199 hundredweight 21.33 pounds; the weight of the dissolved solids is 110,698 hundredweight 69.535 pound.

Concerning the therapeutic value of the Karlsbad hot springs, Dr. Ryba16 has summarized them concisely in the following few lines: "The water ... is a penetrating dissolving agent that genuinely transforms all bodily fluids and strongly stimulates the secretions of the intestines, the liver, the pancreas, the kidneys, and the skin, but isn't particularly tiring. Depending on the temperature of the particular spring, it irritates and heats more or less, not infrequently leads to crisis-like symptoms, and is recommended in particular for its long-lasting beneficial effects."

Outside the city at the southern foot of the Tappenberg, not far from the road to Hammer, the so-called Karlsbader Säuerling, a cold mineral spring, erupts, which contains barely 15 percent (by weight) of solid components but develops a considerable amount of carbon dioxide gas. This spring is not used much for drinking; however, in order to not let the gas go to waste, the city community in 1837 established gas [bubble] baths at this spring.

The excellent hotels for travelers who also visit Karlsbad outside the main season are those of the Golden Shield, the Paradise, and Prince Wilhelm of Prussia. The preferred restaurants during the main season are the Saxonian Hall (built in 1701 by King Friedrich August I of Poland and Elector of Saxony), the Lusthaus, the City of Paris, and the Teutsche Hof [German Court]; among the coffeeshops, the Melon, the Elephant, and the Panorama are preferred. The tourist attractions outside the city, the walks, monuments, rest areas, etc. etc. are thoroughly described in the numerous pamphlets about Karlsbad that have been written for the visitors.

The nicest vistas are from the coffeeshop Panorama, the Stephanshöhe (named in honor of His k.k. Majesty Archduke Stephan), the house Queen of England, and the Helenenhof.

The best private houses are at the market square (e.g., Austrian Flag, White Lion, City of Hannover, etc. etc. etc.), in the Alte Wiese (e.g., Stone House, Three Steps, etc. etc. etc.), in the Mühlbad-Gasse, as well as in the Neue Wiese (e.g., Beautiful Queen, built in 1748 by the collector Kraus and adorned with a portrait of Empress Maria Theresia) and along the Eger and Marienbad roads. The Bohemian Hall, built in 1728, which for a long time was an inn, is now also used for private apartments.

The city administration is executed by the magistrate with an approved mayor, an approved councilor, 2 unapproved councilors elected by the citizens from their ranks, 1 registrar of deeds who is also [some other type of] registrar and tax assessor, 2 office clerks, and 1 court clerk. Furthermore, for the political and economical administration of the dominion there is an economy office (see above). Until 1786, the magistrate also served as criminal court, but this was discontinued at that time by Emperor Joseph II.

For the upkeep of order and safety, the city has been divided into 8 wards since 1828, and in each ward a well-behaved and wise citizen has been named supervisor. The safety at night is preserved by 18 night watchmen and 3 police officers. For the case of fire danger, there are 3 fire stations (at the church square, market square, and Schloßberg).

During the tourist season, the police power is exercised by the k.k. tourist inspection, i.e., on the civil side by a deputized superior commissioner of the k.k. Prague city command, and on the military side by a superior officer with special orders.

The offices of the country sovereign are: (a) 1 k.k. road commission for the Karlsbad and Schlackenwerth roads, with 1 road commissioner and 1 road master; (b) 1 k.k. customs representation, with 1 collector and 1 comptroller. Here is also the station of the k.k. treasury section 15, with 1 superior commissioner and 1 commissioner.

The earliest history of the city is largely in the dark. Older than all history are the springs themselves. Eons ago they have formed by the continued precipitation of sintered limestone the ground and bottom (the so-called Sprudel shell) on which the city was eventually founded, and over which the Tepel River flows in part. Until this stone vault was completed, the hot water of the springs mixed with the flowing water of the Tepel and imparted on it, as well as the Eger, a high heat content. This assumption is based on the Czech names of both rivers: Tepla from teply [y-acute], warm, and Ohre [r-hacek] from ohrjti [r-hacek], to warm or to heat. Under the latter name (Latin Ogra) of the Eger, Cosmas, the oldest chronicler of Bohemia (died in 1125) mentions while telling the events of the 9th century the castle Tepla, in whose vicinity its owner, Wladyk Hroznara, in 1193 built the current convent of Tepel, and which could only have obtained its name from the river Tepel.17

The ancient folklore has the Karlsbad springs, in particular the Sprudel, become known only in the 14th century, when a hunted deer pursued by the Emperor Karl IV jumped from the rock that was later named "Hirschenstein" [deer rock] into the valley, and a hunting dog burned its feet in the hot spring water, attracted the hunters with its howling, and caused the discovery of the Sprudel. The emperor himself is said to have used the water successfully by bathing his sore foot and to have erected a castle at the foot of the Hirschenstein, therefore promoted the establishment of a town, and later elevated the latter to a city named Karlsbad. If one considers, however, that the surrounding area was already inhabited in the 9th century, and in particular the Margraves of Vohburg founded the neighboring Stein-Elbogen,18 and that the steam of the springs is visible from far, especially in cold weather, one finds it unbelievable that these springs were not already known then. Furthermore, on a map designed by the well-known, critical historian Gelasius Dobner19 to represent Bohemia in the 13th century, at approximately the location of present-day Karlsbad a town Wary appears whose name is related to warjti [r-hacek], to cook, boil, or brew. About 3/4 hours west of the city one finds even today in the Stadtgut forest tract the faint traces (basements, foundations) of the village Thiergarten along with the ruins of a church that was once dedicated to St. Leonard and that appears in the [church] books under the name Hortus ferarum to have been founded in 1384 as a parish church.20 Dr. Becher found in the old walls of this church pieces of Sprudelstein [sintered limestone precipitated at the exit of a hot spring], proof that the Sprudel was not unknown at the time of the construction of this church.21 Also, from a privilege issued by King Johann in 1325, and in the affirmation by King Wenzel IV in 1401 of the Karlsbad privileges, it is clear that this village Thiergarten was a property of the town Warmbad, or Wary,22 and the foundation document of the Karlsbad civic hospital of 1531, by Count Albrecht von Schlick, who orders the village to pay the tax formerly paid to the Karlsbad pastor to the hospital instead, proves that it still existed as a populated place at that time.23

Thus, the Karlsbad springs were not discovered by Karl IV, and the town Wary was not founded by this monarch, but only this much is historically certain that he elevated the town to a city and granted it privileges. The oldest still documented privilege is the one written in German and dated 14 August 1370 in Nuremberg, where he assures "Our dear faithful citizens of Karlsbad..." that they "should have and enjoy" all liberties, rights, and good habits that "the city at the Elbogen" has possessed since old times.24 That the therapeutic values of the water have been known much earlier, and that they may have caused the first blooming of the town Wary long before Karl and his father Johann, is without doubt due to several indications. The Sprudel shell was used already early on as a limestone quarry, partly for construction stone, as shown in the above-mentioned example of the church of St. Leonard, and partly for the conversion to lye by firing.25 "The obvious curative effects of the mineral water" -- Dr. Ryba says -- "could not remain hidden from the people working in the limestone quarry. The small river Tepel that was strongly heated by the hot mineral waters invited to bathing, and the laxative effect of the mineral water was not easy to overlook. Such observations could induce a high esteem for the healing power of the springs very early on among the people, especially since hot baths and purging have always been among the more popular cures, especially in the middle ages. The knowledge of such among the country people, plus the admirable appearance of a curing agent from the ground had to have reached the physicians of the nearest cities, Elbogen and Eger, which often were visited by the royal court. Sooner or later, with or without intervention of a high-born person, a medical examination of these springs according to the state of science of the time, as well as the establishment of some bathing facilities had to have happened. These in turn led to new settlements and new industry, until the town grew to a true spa." -- Probably already among the oldest inhabitants of Karlsbad there were many ethnic Germans, many of whom were attracted into the country by King Premysl [r-hacek] Otakar II and were settled particularly in Elbogen and surroundings in 1255.26

We will now continue with the telling of the most important historical notes, skipping details that have already been mentioned above in the description of the city.

Although Karlsbad received city rights from Karl IV, at that time it still was by no means a free royal city but formed a part of the royal dominion of Elbogen, and it came, when in 1434 King Sigmund pawned this dominion along with several others to the noble Kaspar Schlick, castle count of Elbogen, also under the reign of the latter.27 After the latter's death in 1449, his heirs (brother Matthäus and nephew Wenzel) in 1455 pawned the castle Wary (Karlsbad) to the noble Wenzel Polacky of Polaky for the sum of 500 Rhenish florins under the condition that this castle could not be released any sooner than the royal chamber Elbogen was released by the paying back of the principal by the Lords von Schlick. The latter retained the authority over the city, and therefore, conflict started soon between them and the lenders, which after the death of King Georg (1471) became an open fight. A commission of judges named by King Wladislaw II for the adjudication of these quarrels decided on 10 April 1475 that the Lords von Schlick had to pay 650 Rhenish florin to the Noble Polacky and would regain the castle of Wary.28 Since, as we have shown in the Elbogen section,29 the Lords von Schlick had already placed their belongings in this part of Bohemia under the protection of Duke Albrecht of Saxony in 1471, the latter also became protector of Karlsbad. Still belonging to Elbogen, the city together with this dominion came in 1506 to Count Albrecht von Schlick, and in 1533 to Count Hieronymus von Schlick, who on 22 August 1547 saw himself forced to turn Elbogen over to the crown again.

During the period between the death of Karl IV (1378) and 1547, Karlsbad received from King Wenzel IV in 1401 the confirmation of the earlier privileges, in particular the perpetual ownership over the villages Thiergarten and Trahwitz. In the latter village, in 1493 the city community bought from Stephan von Branden, chamberlain at Elbogen, the Edelhof [noble estate] Trahwitz for 493 florin. On 5 August 1499, King Wladislaw II affirmed the privileges of the city and added the new one, whereas no Jew could take up residence there. In 1511, Gilg von Stambach sold the village Fischern to the city, under the condition that a mass would be read every day for him and his family. In 1532, the city bought the village Roßnitz from Count Hieronymus von Schlick.30

Remarkable is the lack of any news about the fate of Karlsbad during the Hussite War. Even Theobald, the chronicler of this war, who was born in Schlackenwald, has nothing to say about it.31

In 1553, the city purchased the villages Thonitz (Donitz), Ober- and Unter-Maierhöfen from Christoph von Gendorf for 5400 fl., and already in the following year the city officially converted to the teachings of Luther, which it followed eagerly until 1628. In 1562 (?), Emperor Maximilian II donated the already dilapidated and unfit for habitation castle to the city community for its use. In the years 1571 and 174, among the visitors there were Archduke Ferdinand of Tyrol and his spouse Philippine Welser.32 The years 1579 and 1582 were marked by extensive floods. Especially terrible and destructive was the one of 9 May 1582, when the Tepel River, swollen after a great rainfall, washed away 33 houses, 1 bridge and 3 foot bridges and buried 20 people in its floods. In 1582, the city was given the privilege of two annual markets by Emperor Rudolph II. On 13 August 1604, a fire incinerated almost the entire city (of the 102 houses at the time only 3 remained) along with the church and the city hall. In the place of the old castle, in 1608 the city tower was built. In 1609, Emperor Rudolph II released the city from the taxes that had been owed since the last fire and declared the estate Donitz etc. to be a free heritable estate. Nevertheless, by 1614 and 1615 the city had recovered sufficiently that it was able (albeit with borrowed money) to purchase the estate Dalwitz (Tallwitz) from Wolf Bernard Vitzthumb von Egerberg, and the estate Wehetitz from Lady Lucretia Elisabeth von Schönau. In 1617, King Mathias pawned the cities of Karlsbad and Schlackenwerth to Kaspar Egerer in Schlaggenwald for 3000 Schock (Meißen).

With the year 1618 the horrors of the Thirty Years War began for Germany and Bohemia, but also in particular for Karlsbad. Already on 30 October of that year, the city had to send armed troops to the army of the states' general, Count Ernst Mansfeld, who was besieging Pilsen. The enemy Bavarian army, which had already laid fire to the city in 1620, during its siege of Elbogen in 1621 also devastated the entire area, and only the importance of Karlsbad as a spa caused Emperor Ferdinand II to grant the privilege of perpetual exemption from military quartering on 6 May 1623, regardless that the city was still Lutheran.33 On 21 August 1624, the church was locked, and the last Lutheran minister, Matthes Rebhuhn, along with all those inhabitants who did not wish to return to the Catholic creed, were forced to leave Karlsbad on 24 August. On August 25, the doctor of theology, Georg Binther came from Prague as a [Catholic] spiritual commissioner and held the first sermon. But only four years later, on 25 March 1628, in the presence of the district superintendent Ertl von Seiten, the public and formal declaration of the Catholic creed by the male inhabitants of the city took place, although -- Dr. Becher says 34 -- "the female sex was converted only with much pain and only very gradually." The first Catholic pastor shown in the church records is P. Franz Albanus. The Karlsbad shooting association is first mentioned in the records of the magistrate in 1630, when it received a new organization. In 1633, in order to pay for war debts, the city obtained imperial permission to either pawn the estate Dalwitz for 1400 Reichsthaler or to sell it, whereupon in 1635 the actual sale of that estate occurred to the Swiss Oberstwachmeister [an officer's rank] Hanns Ulrich for the sum of 11,500 Schock (Meißen). The winter of 1638 to 1639 was marked by unusually mild weather, such that on 29 December it was possible in the entire area to plow the fields. In 1645, as a consequence of bad crops and the devastation of the fields by enemy troops, an inflation took place, where the price of a Strich of rye increased to 10 fl. 11 Groschen. (The inflation of 1623, when a Strich of rye cost 50 to 60 fl., was only due to the lack of circulating cash.) During the siege of the city of Elbogen in 1646 by the Swedes, who had already sacked Karlsbad in 1640, the city was again hit hard.

The fact that the climate of Karlsbad is a healthy one (perhaps also as a consequence of the steady evaporation of the mineral water), was proven without doubt, not only in 1581, when an epidemic that was prevalent in Bohemia spared the city, but especially, when the oriental pestilence, which, as is well-known, in 1680 in Vienna, Prague, and almost all of Bohemia, even in Saxony, killed hundreds of thousands of people, bypassed Karlsbad without touching it. The same was the case in 1713, the last pestilence year in Bohemia. Similarly, the Asiatic cholera of the years 1831 and 1836 remained unknown to the Karlsbad people.25

Toward the end of the 17th century, for the first time crowned rulers visited Karlsbad as tourists, i.e., in 1682 Johann Georg III, Elector of Saxony, and in 1691 as well as in 1695 Friedrich August I, Elector of Saxony (and later King of Poland). Furthermore, in 1691 the Elector of Brandenburg and later King of Prussia, Friedrich III, and the Duke (in 1692 Elector) of Hannover, Ernst August, stayed in Karlsbad. King Friedrich August of Poland, who in 1705 needed the therapy again, arrived at that time with a military entourage of 668 men. As these troops could not be accommodated in the city itself, the had to make camp near Donitz.36 In 1707, Emperor Joseph I in a document dated December 13 elevated Karlsbad to a royal free city and reaffirmed her privileges. Rather strange in the annals of Karlsbad are the years 1711 and 1712, when Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia, stayed here as a spa visitor with great success, visited all local craft shops and demonstrated his practical knowledge by means of a horseshoe that he forged in the village and an ivory box that he turned and gave to Pastor Böhm as a gift, his courage and great physical strength with a dangerous ride to the Hirschensprung on a farm horse, and his generosity with numerous gifts. In 1721, Empress Elisabeth Christine, spouse of Emperor Karl VI, was among the tourists. The latter visited the city for a therapy in 1732 and left behind truly imperial gifts in the amount of over 26,000 fl.

During the first Silesian War, in 1742, Karlsbad suffered heavy oppression from the French. The years 1745 and 1746 were marked by extensive floods of the Tepel River. In 1756, Count Rudolph von Chotek (the father of the Oberstburggraf Johann Rudolph von Chotek who died in 1824) had the shore of the Tepel reinforced with walls at his own expense, converted the Alte Wiese into a boulevard by use of the existing chestnut trees, and had the first forest trail wide enough for a carriage built behind the Bohemian Hall. The trial is still called "Chotek Trail". During the Seven Years War in 1757 the city had to pay a tribute of 3300 fl. to a detachment of Prussian troops, but on 23 May 1759 it received a letter of security promising it to be spared from any devastation by Prussian troops. Unfortunately, the rejoicing over this letter was suppressed on the same day by a fire that put to ashes 224 houses including the city hall and the city tower. Despite the letter of security, the city had to pay tributes to some Prussian patrols in 1762. The flood of 30 December 1763 was the greatest that hit the city until that day. At some houses along the Alte Wiese the water reached a height of more than 3 ells. On 15 July 1766, Emperor Joseph II visited the city on the way to Eger. In 1769, a boy accidentally discovered the Schloßbrunnen by observing air bubbles that came out of the ground. The inflation that dominated all of Germany in 1771 and 1772 was also noticeable in Karlsbad, mainly in the form of many illnesses. Wheat cost 16 fl., rye 15 fl., barley 12 fl., and oats 5 fl. per Strich. Fortunately, the year 1773 brought a blessed harvest. In 1784, the Bernhards-Brunnen appeared.

A natural event unique to Karlsbad that we have not yet mentioned, and that each time causes considerable work and cost, sometimes no small fear and terror, for the inhabitants are the irregular Sprudel eruptions that were not that rare in earlier times. When the usual openings of the Sprudel got clogged, the subterranean water, with the aid of the power of the steam, would find itself new exits, even by breaks in the spring shell in the river bed itself when the Tepel damaged it by ice floes. Already Fabian Summer in 1589 speaks of such eruptions. Others of importance occurred in 1617, 1703, 1713,37 1727, 1774 (when the usual spring openings did not yield any water for a while), 1788, 1799, and 1809. The one of the last of these years, on 2 September, was even accompanied in the vicinity of the Sprudel by indications that were reminiscent of an earthquake and chased all the people out of their houses in terror. It was shown that, similar to earlier eruptions, the cleaning of the so-called Ständer [stand pipe] of the precipitated sintered limestone had been neglected, which was the major cause of this event. Since that time, the openings of all springs are cleaned four times a year by means of large augers and even enlarged if necessary.38 It is strange that with the last eruption (1809) the Schloßbrunnen ceased to flow, while a new spring, the Hygieensquelle, opened up. Only after 14 years, on 15 October 1823, did the Schloßbrunnen appear again. Despite the annual drillings, some renewed insignificant eruptions have occurred since then, i.e., in 1824, 1832, 1834 (when the cure of the damage also led to curious observations 39), 1835, 1836, 1837, 1838, and 1840. For the repair of the eruption of 1809, the city was supported by Emperor Franz with an interest-free loan of 30,000 fl. in bank notes of the time, which was paid back by 6000 fl. in Einlösungsscheinen [another type of paper money].

On 2 July 1812 His Majesty, accompanied by Empress Marie Louise of France and Archduke Ferdinand, Grandduke of Würzburg, came to Karlsbad and remained until July 4. The initial disadvantage of the war year of 1813 was that the number of spa visitors, which had risen to over 1300 in 1811, was only 629, after the worry about the advances of the French troops had sent away almost all visitors by August 13. Between September 7 and 9, an army of 4000 Austrians, Russians, and Prussians made camp near Donitz and Fischern, and still during the same month, as well as from October through December, well over a thousand captured and wounded enemies were brought from Saxony to Karlsbad, against whom the inhabitants showed most notable charity. On 17 April 1814, the city celebrated with church services, illumination etc., the conquest of Paris by the allied armies, and on 17 July of the same year the signing of the peace of Paris. The number of tourists during that year rose again to 1727, and has been steadily increasing during the long string of peace years until now. Usually, it is not far from 3000, and in 1834 this number was even exceeded. Among the spa visitors of the years 1816, 1817, and 1820 was King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, and among the passing tourists of 1818 was the Russian Empress Maria Fodorowna, widow of Paul I. In August of 1819, under the presidency of the k.k. house, court, and state chancellor Prince von Metternich congress of ministers of the German powers took place. The night from the 9th to the 10th of September 1821 was one of terror and bad fortune for Karlsbad. A rise of the Tepel River as it had not been seen since 1582 flooded the entire part of the city that lies along the river, rose on both [Alte and Neue] Wiesen and on the market square to over 6 feet, in the Sprudel- and Kreuzgasse as high as 9 feet, destroyed all bridges and foot bridges and several houses, penetrated the apartments and shops, and caused damage of almost 90,000 fl. C.M. Less destructive was the flood in the night of June 10 to 11, 1827. On 12 February 1828, as everywhere else in Prague and all of Bohemia, the 60th birthday of Emperor Franz I was celebrated most solemnly, and on 14 September 1835 the city had opportunity to display her love and devotion to Their Majesties, the currently gloriously ruling Emperor Ferdinand I and his spouse, Maria Anna Karolina. The coronation events for both Majesties in Prague on 7 September 1836 also caused a splendid celebration in Karlsbad on the 11th. Among the spa visitors of 1837 was the Archduke Johann, who spent four weeks here with his wife, as well as Queen Pauline of Würtemberg and King Ernst of Hannover. In the summer of 1838, the Marktbrunnen was discovered, examined scientifically, and equipped for use in therapy. In the same year, the current Empress of Russia, Alexandra Feodorowna, traveled incognito through Karlsbad under the assumed name of a Countess Romanow.

Among the most joyous events of the most recent time is the visit in the summer of 1845 of His k.k. Highness Archduke Stephan, who, at the head of the country's administration, shows his undivided love and attention to all spa resorts of Bohemia.

Karlsbad is the birth place of the following famous men:

(1) Fabian Summer, doctor of medicine; after Wenzel Payer of Elbogen he was the first author who (in 1571) communicated detailed descriptions of Karlsbad (see above, p. 229 [footnote 1]).

(2) Dr. David Becher, born on 19 February 1725, died on 7 February 1792, active as spa physician and author from his 31st year until his death, was a benefactor of the poor and a generous supporter of all public institutions. His work on Karlsbad, in particular the final edition of 1789 (see above, p.229 [footnote 1]) still belongs, considering the progress of science since that time, among the foremost of its kind. Rightfully he has been called the Hippocrates of Karlsbad. Among the numerous monuments that are found in the city and its surrounding, one in the honor of this excellent man is still lacking.40

(3) Leopold August Stöhr, born 22 May 1764, died as dean in Karlsbad and commander of the Order of the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star on 26 March 1831; he was the first thorough researcher, discoverer, and collector of historic sources on Karlsbad and digested his findings in his above-mentioned work (see p. 229 [footnote 1]).41

(4) Julius Franz Waha, born 1697, died 1754 as general grandmaster of the Order of the Knights of the Cross.

(5) Franz Pittrof, born 1739, was professor of pastoral theology at the University of Prague, later commander of the Order of the Knights of the Cross, and died as a general grandmaster of the same order.

(6) Joseph Trottmann, born 1746, doctor of all jurisprudence, died as professor of the law faculty at the University of Prague.

(7) Joseph Müller, born 1757, died as k.k. lieutenant colonel and was inducted into nobility with the predicate von Hohenthal.

(8) Dr. Bernard Mittenbacher, born 28 August 1767, gained most honorable reputation as spa physician and the greatest merits for the city and the patients as director of the bath hospital that was founded by him. He died in Berlin on 27 May 1839.

(9) Dr. August Pfitzmayer, born 16 March 1808. While attending college in Pilsen and the University of Prague, he studied for himself, without oral instruction, modern languages, and in 1827 even Turkish with such success that his translation of the Lobkowitz ode In thermas Caroli IV (see above, p. 242) was declared to be highly skillful by Hofrath von Hammer in Vienna.42 He later obtained the title of a medical doctor and is currently employed as a professor of Turkish and Chinese language at the University of Vienna.

Also among the current spa physicians one recognizes well known names. The Doctors Bermann, Damm, and Hlawacek [c-hacek], the latter also recognized as an author about Karlsbad, were all born in Karlsbad. Dr. Johann Chevalier de Carro, a born Swiss (from Geneva), who already for a long time had an European reputation as a propagator of the cowpox inoculation, today has gained recognition in the spa by the Almanach de Carlsbad that was founded by him and is continued with diligence, taste, and knowledge. In particular, he has described the merits of the spa to those foreigners who are not fluent in the German language. The city is indebted to his works on Karlsbad in English for the annually increasing numbers of English tourists who once were a rare phenomenon.43 In 1843, he celebrated his doctoral anniversary and received, besides several other proofs of recognition, the diploma of an honorary citizen of the city of Karlsbad.

Finally, appropriate recognition is due to Mr. Jos. Joh. Lenhart, administrator of the affairs of the city as the mayor since 1828, a promoter of the general welfare of the populace by exercising public order and safety, and the creator of numerous institutions and improvements that serve the pleasure and enjoyment of the visits by the foreigners.

The villages belonging to the city are:

(1) Drahowitz (usually Drahwitz), also written Trahwitz, Trahowitz, and Trabitz, 1/2 hour N of Karlsbad, on the right shore of the Eger below the confluence of the Tepel, village of 50 houses with 320 inhabitants, in the parish of Karlsbad, has 3 taverns. Near this village is a sour spring in whose vicinity one finds peat, utilized since 1836 in the peat baths in Karlsbad (see above).

(2) Donitz, also Thonitz (in Schaller and on the Kreybich map erroneously Dornitz and Tornitz), 3/4 hours W of Karlsbad, along the road to Aich, on the right shore of the Eger, village of 46 houses with 264 inhabitants, in the parish of Karlsbad, has 1 leased dairy farm with sheep farm and 1 tavern. The estate Donitz came to Karlsbad already in 1553. Our correspondents did not mention the "ruined castle" referred to by Schaller. Separate is the dominical settlement Neu-Donitz, established in 1794.

(3) Fischern, 3/4 hours NW of Karlsbad, along the road to Elbogen and Rohlau Creek which flows into the Eger here, village of 29 houses with 208 inhabitants, in the parish of Karlsbad, has 1 Contributions-Getreideschüttboden [type of grain elevator] and 1 branch church of St. Urban, which is already documented in 1585, 1 mill with board saw, and 2 taverns.

(4) Ober-Maierhöfen, 1 hour W of Karlsbad, along the road to Elbogen and Chodau Creek, small village of 6 houses with 36 inhabitants, in the parish of Karlsbad, has 1 tavern.

(5) Unter-Maierhöfen, near the previous, village of 9 houses with 44 inhabitants, in the parish of Karlsbad.

(6) Weheditz, Wehetitz, 3/4 hours N of Karlsbad, on the left shore of the Eger, village of 14 houses with 74 inhabitants, in the parish of Zettlitz (estate Tüppelsgrün).

(7) Roßnitz, 1 hour NW of Karlsbad, small village of 8 houses with 60 inhabitants, in the parish of Zettlitz, has 1 tavern

Footnotes

1. The numerous writings about Karlsbad are in part of scientific (mainly mineralogy and geography), in part of medical, and in part of mixed (medical, topographic, and historical) content, primarily directed at tourists. Also, one finds in many other geographic and medical books and journals more-or-less detailed remarks about this world famous resort. The most important are: Wenc. Payer de Cubito: Tractatus de Thermis Caroli IV. Leipzig, 1521 and 1614; -- Fab. Summer: De inventione, descriptione, tempererie, viribus et usu Thermarum Caroli IV. Leipzig, 1571 and 1589; German translations thereof: Leipzig, 1572, 1580, 1592, and Nuremberg, 1647. -- Bruschius (Brusch): Economia etc. Thermarum Car. Wittenberg, 1648; the description of the Fichtelgebirge [mountains] by the same, Nuremberg, 1683; -- Balbinus: Miscell. Histor. regni Bohemiae etc. Prague, 1669; -- By the same author: Epitome histor. rerum Bohem. Prague, 1677;-- Friedr. Hofmann: Dissertatio de Carol. Therm. etc. Halle, 1705; -- By the same author: De Sale medic. Car. Therm. Halle, 1734; -- Springsfeld: Treatise on Karlsbad etc., Leipzig, 1748 and 1749; Dr. Becher: New Treatise on Karlsbad, in three parts, Prague, 1766, 1767, 1768, 1772, and a completely revised edition, Leipzig, 1789; French translation by Dr. Gruber, Prague, 1795 and 1797; -- v. Racknitz: Letters about Karlsbad etc., Dresden and Leipzig, 1788; -- Schaller: Topography of the Kingdom of Bohemia, part 2, Prague, 1789; -- Klaproth: Chemical examination of the mineral springs at Karlsbad, Berlin, 1790; -- Leop. v. Buch: Contribution to a mineralogical description of the Karlsbad region (in Freiberg Mining Journal, vol. 5, 1792); -- Stransky: State of Bohemia, in German by Cornova, Prague, 1792; -- Dr. Reuß: Mineralogical remarks from a voyage to Karlsbad, Berlin, 1795; -- Dr. Hoser: Description of Karlsbad, Prague, 1797; -- Campe: Voyage from Braunschweig to Karlsbad, Braunschweig, 1806; -- v. Göthe: Treatise to the knowledge of the Bohemian mountains of and around Karlsbad, Karlsbad, 1807; -- Stöhr: Karlsbad and the important sights of this world famous resort, Karlsbad, 1810, 1812, 1817, 1822, and 1829; -- Hufeland: Practical overview of the splendid therapeutic springs of Germany, Berlin, 1815, 1820; -- Lampadius: Assessment of the Karlsbad sour spring, Freiberg, 1819; -- Berzelius: Examinations of the mineral waters of Karlsbad, Teplitz and Königswart. Leipzig, 1823; -- Kreysig: On the use of the natural and artificial mineral waters of Karlsbad etc., Leipzig, 1825, 1826; -- v. Hoff: Geognostic remarks about Karlsbad. Gotha, 1825; -- Dr. Leo: Remarks about Karlsbad as a resort in the year 1825 (Hufeland Journal of Practical Medicine, vol. 63, 1826); -- Dr. Pöschmann: The castle spring at Karlsbad. Prague, 1826; -- Dr. de Carro: Ode latine sur Carlsbad par le Baron Bohuslaus Hassenstein de Lobkowitz (with 17 translations), Prague, 1829; -- By the same author: Carlsbad, ses eaux min. et ses nouv. bains à vapeurs. Karlsbad, 1827 and 1829. -- By the same author: On the steam baths in Karlsbad. 1827; -- By the same author: Almanach de Carlsbad etc., Prague, 1831 to 1847; 17 volumes (is continued); -- By the same author: Essay on the mineral waters of Carlsbad etc., Prague 1835; -- Dr. Ryba: Karlsbad and her therapeutic springs; a handbook for tourists, Prague 1828; second edition 1835, with a geognostic map and the flora of Karlsbad, by Fischer; -- Gerle: Bohemia's therapeutic springs, Prague 1829; -- Jungmann: O Karlowych Warech (Bohemian Journal of the Museum, vol. 1832, issue 1); - Dr. Hlawacek [c-hacek]: The water therapy etc. with special consideration of the Karlsbad thermal springs, Vienna 1835; -- By the same author: Karlsbad in medical, picturesque, and social contexts, Prague 1838; -- By the same author: History of Karlsbad, Prague 1839; -- Brothers Platzer: Karlsbad address book etc., Prague 1835; -- Dr. Frank: Ragguaglio di alcune opere recenti sopra Carlsbad (in Bibl. Ital. issue 243, 1836); -- Dr. Wagner: Observations on Karlsbad and her therapeutic effects, Prague and Karlsbad, 1837; -- Dr. Held: View on Karlsbad etc., Prague 1836; -- By the same author: Second view on Karlsbad etc., Prague 1838; -- Dr. Strahl: The resorts Marienbad, Karlsbad, and Kissingen, in their effects on abdominal sufferers. Berlin, 1839; -- Lenhart (mayor of the city of Karlsbad): Carlsbad memorabilia from 1325 to 1839. Prague, 1840. [back]
2. Lenhart: Karlsbad Memorabilia etc. pp. 62, 77, 94, and 95. [back]
3. Dr. Ryba: Karlsbad and her mineral springs, 2nd ed. Prague, 1835, pp. 65 and following. [back]
4. Lenhart, pp. 371 and following. [back]
5. Lenhart, loc. cit., p. 269. [back]
6. Lenhart, loc. cit., pp. 27, 28, 236, and 237. [back]
7. Lenhart, loc. cit., pp. 125, 150, 152, 154, 170, 180, 198, 265, 320, and 328. [back]
8. Lenhart, loc. cit., pp. 337, 413, 428, and 432. [back]
9. Ryba, loc. cit., p. 45. [back]
10. "New treatises about Karlsbad". Second edition, Leipzig 1789. [back]
11. Lenhart, Memorabilia, pp. 55 and following. [back]
12. Jewish people who die as foreigners in Karlsbad are buried at the Jewish cemetery in Lichtenstadt (Schlackenwerth dominion). [back]
13. More details about all these springs are found in the numerous medical writings about Karlsbad, in particular in the works by Becher, Hufel, Kreysig, Leo, Ryba, de Carro, and Hlawaczek (see above in the overview of the literature). [back]
14. Ryba, loc. cit., p. 86. [back]
15. Ryba, loc. cit., p. 96. [back]
16. Loc. cit., p. 102. [back]
17. See vol. 6 (Pilsen District) of our work, p. 246. [back]
18. See above [Elbogen section], p. 9. [back]
19. Ann. Bohem. p. 11. [back]
20. Schaller, p. 31; after Balbius, Miscell. Dec. I, Lib. V, p. 24. [back]
21. Dr. Becher "New treatises about Karlsbad", 2nd edition, Leipzig, 1789, p. 114, in the note. [back]
22. Lenhart: Memorabilia etc. pp. 3 and 13. [back]
23. Dr. Ryba, loc. cit., p. 9. [back]
24. Dr. Ryba, loc. cit., p. 4. [back]
25. Dr. Becher, loc. cit., pp. 138 and following. In 1821, even near Buchau, along the Prague road 3 1/2 hours from Karlsbad, a mass of Sprudel stone and also the masonry of a lime kiln were found at the foot of a mountain, which carries the ruins of Hartenstein [castle]. See De Carro: Almanach de Karlsbad, vol. 1 (1831), pp. 104 and following. [back]
26. Schaller, loc. cit., p. 9; Palacky: History of Bohemia, vol. 2, part 1, pp. 149 and following. [back]
27. See above [Elbogen section], p. 11. [back]
28. De Carro: Almanach, vol. 1832, pp. 175-180. [back]
29. See above [Elbogen section], p. 11. [back]
30. Lenhart, loc. cit., pp. 13-27. [back]
31. Ryba, loc. cit., p. 25. [back]
32. De Carro: Almanach, vol. 1832, pp. 51 and following. [back]
33. n 1793, this exemption was restricted insofar as the city was required to accept troops in times of "extreme urgency." [back]
34. Loc. cit., p. 116. [back]
35. Dr. de Carro, in vol. 1832, pp. 93 and following of his almanac, which is rich on interesting notes of all kinds, gives an overview of all years of pestilence and [other] epidemics in the 15th, 16th, and 17th century, and Karlsbad is never mentioned in these. [back]
36. Lenhart, loc. cit., p. 61. That author lifted this strange event from the "Nuremberg Correspondent of and for Germany, 1815," no. 16, but does not mention a Karlsbad document as source. The affair seems rather dubious. The Nuremberg Correspondent was not exactly known for great accuracy 30 years ago. [back]
37. As Becher tells it (pp. 131 and following), this was the most important one, as it caused the examination of the subterranean water basin on whose ceiling most of the city is built. [back]
38. More details on this subject is found in Becher, Stšhr, Ryba, and others. [back]
39. Lenhart, pp. 355-369. [back]
40. Dr. de Carro, in his almanac for 1833 (pp. 41-63), has given the first biography of Dr. Becher. [back]
41. De Carro, Almanac for 1832, pp. 151-154. [back]
42. Dr. de Carro, Almanac for 1832, pp. 154 and following, where the Turkish version of the ode is also reproduced. [back]
43. The cashing of a check of 140 pound Sterling by an English visitor during the summer of 1833 was then discussed as an important event for several days. [back]