From Teplice to Hodonín: The Greatest Records of Czech Spa Towns

In 2025, the map of Czech spa towns gained two new destinations — Hodonín and Leopoldov near Buchlovice — while Mariánské Lázně's famous Singing Fountain came back to life. In summer 2026, after years of neglect, the historic Ida Colonnade at the Bělovès spa near Náchod will reopen, once again offering visitors a taste of mineral water from the local spring.

Czech spas aren't just about healing treatments — they're also architectural landmarks, evening strolls along colonnades, and stories of famous guests from the past. We've rounded up the greatest records and standout sights of the country's health resorts.

The Youngest and Lowest-Lying

Since July 2025, Hodonín and the natural spa of Leopoldov near Buchlovice have officially held spa-town status. Both draw on iodine-bromine water — among the finest in Europe — known to help with conditions of the joints, blood vessels and nervous system. Hodonín also claimed the title of the country's lowest-lying spa town, sitting just 167 metres above sea level, with the wine cellars of the Slovácko region right nearby.

The Oldest Spa Town — Teplice

According to legend, recorded in the chronicle of Václav Hájek of Libočany, the hot springs of Teplice were discovered in 762 by a wounded pig whose leg miraculously healed. Officially, though, Teplice owes its status as the Czech Republic's oldest spa town to Queen Judith, who founded a monastery there in 1154, where thermal springs were first used for healing — two centuries before most other Czech spas. In Teplice, Beethoven composed his Seventh and Eighth Symphonies, began work on his Ninth, and met with Goethe.

Karlovy Vary and Temperature Records

Karlovy Vary remains the country's most famous spa town — its Vřídlo spring, on the Vřídlo Colonnade, shoots up to 12 metres high at a scorching 72°C. The coldest mineral springs, meanwhile, are found in Mariánské Lázně, where the water temperature is a mere 7–10°C. In July 2023, the town earned climatic spa status thanks to its exceptionally clean air. Since 2021, the three towns of the West Bohemian Spa Triangle — Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně — have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list as part of the international "Great Spas of Europe" project.

Curiosities and Other Records

The country's highest-altitude spa town is Jáchymov, at 673 metres, home to the world's first radon spa treatments since 1906, with water drawn from the old Svornost mine at a depth of 500 metres. The smallest spa town is Karlova Studánka in the Jeseníky Mountains — home to just 250 permanent residents and the cleanest air in Central Europe — and also the highest-altitude spa town in Moravia, at 775 metres. In Poděbrady, visitors can admire an unusual sight: a 1936 flower clock on the spa colonnade that shows not only the time but also the current date, with a little gnome tapping out the seconds with a hammer on a tin toadstool nearby.

Read also: Thermal Spas of Czechia: 11 Best Spas and Water Parks

Source: kudyznudy.cz