Charles's baths
Named for the emperor said to have found the springs while hunting.
cs:ŠJů — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ray Swi-hymn from Sijhih-Taipei, Taiwan — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Martin Zeiller — Public domain · Lubor Ferenc — CC BY-SA 4.0
A stone tower standing directly above the centre of Karlovy Vary, the only surviving trace of the hunting castle built by Emperor Charles IV in the fourteenth century, which gave the town its name. The founding story attaches to it: tradition holds that Charles IV discovered the hot springs while hunting in this valley and ordered a settlement established at them. The name Karlovy Vary means literally Charles's baths. The castle burned in the eighteenth century and only the tower survived, with what surrounds it rebuilt later in a different style. The tower today holds a restaurant and café, and its terrace looks out over the valley and the whole town from above. Getting to it is the practical detail that matters: a public lift climbs from street level near the Hot Spring Colonnade to the tower's level, cutting out a steep ascent. Many visitors do not notice it exists and take the stairs. Practical points: the lift and access to the terrace are normally free; the restaurant and café charge their own prices. The view is available without buying anything.
Named for the emperor said to have found the springs while hunting.
The castle burned in the eighteenth century; only the tower remains.
Many take the stairs without noticing it is there.
Above the Hot Spring Colonnade, Karlovy Vary
The Hot Spring ColonnadeThe city's literally beating heart: the Vřídlo mother-spring hurls its 72-degree1 min walk
Lützow VillaA historic villa in Karlovy Vary from the town's boom period as a spa, and an ex2 min walk
The Mill ColonnadeThe spa city's icon: a 132-metre Neo-Renaissance gallery of 124 columns on the T2 min walk
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge ColumnA commemorative column in the forests of Karlovy Vary, raised in the nineteenth 3 min walk
Peter the Great's LookoutA viewpoint on a rock in the spa woods above Karlovy Vary, carrying a bust of th4 min walkThe story told is that Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia, was hunting in this valley in the mid fourteenth century when his dogs — or his retinue, depending on the version — found a hot spring. He ordered a settlement established and granted it privileges, and it became the town. Excavation confirms settlement in that period, but the details of the hunting story are most likely literary.
The Diana tower is the highest and best known, reached by funicular then a lift inside the tower, with a panorama over the whole valley. The Castle Tower is closer, easier and lower but free and in the middle of town. With time for one, Diana gives the wider view; if you are walking the centre, the Castle Tower is on your route.
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