Free Walking Tour Mariánské Lázně: Colonnades and Springs

Your Mariánské Lázně Walking Tour Through Seven Spa Stops

1. 1

   Main Colonnade

   Start under the long cast iron and steel roof of the Main Colonnade, one of the landmarks that define Mariánské Lázně. At 180 metres it was once the longest spa colonnade in the country, and even after the 1986 reconstruction, which cut away a market annex, it still reads as one continuous hall. Walk its full length slowly, and keep looking up: the ceiling frescoes are by Josef Vyleťal and date from that same restoration in 1986.

   What you see is the second colonnade on this site. The first was a solid masonry hall in the Empire style, built between 1823 and 1827 and founded by Abbot Karl Kaspar Reitenberger. The monastery at Teplá later ordered its replacement in cast iron and steel, the light, airy structure you are standing in today. The abbots of Teplá will keep turning up along this walk; the spa grew up very much under their hand.

   The German name, Kreuzbrunnen-Kolonnade, gives away its original purpose: it was the colonnade of Cross Spring, the town's old salt spring, which you reach later on the route. So this hall was built for walking and drinking, guests strolling with their cups between sips.

   The colonnade is free and open around the clock, so there is no pressure to see everything now; it is just as good on an evening stroll. From here it is 210 metres, about 3 minutes, to Karolina Spring.

   Local name

   Kolonáda

   Hours

   Open 24/7

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Main Colonnade on Google Maps ↗

2. 2

   Karolina Spring

   

   Karolina Spring today shares its colonnade with Rudolf Spring, so you will find two springs side by side here. The ornate neo-Baroque cast iron goes back to a rebuild in 1888 and 1889, when builder Johann König worked from designs by the Viennese architects Miksch and Niedzielski, and the ironwork was cast in the engineering works at Blansko. The water stands out for its magnesium: calcium and magnesium come in a ratio of 2 to 5, which is why it has long been recommended for kidney and urinary complaints, kidney stones and tired muscles.

   The spring was discovered in 1809 and at first was simply called the New Spring. People drank right where it rose. In 1811 it received a round pavilion with a dome and eight Corinthian columns, usually credited to Josef Esch; in 1823 it was rebuilt in a very similar form, and in 1872 two wings with 24 columns were added.

   Its later life was restless. When Rudolf Spring was piped here in 1912, Karolina was dropped for a while and used only for baths in the spa buildings opposite, until Dr. Benno Winter restored it to its colonnade in 1929 and 1930. In a reconstruction that began in 1975, an identical colonnade was built 20 metres closer to the Main Colonnade and the old one was then torn down. The promenade to Cross Spring reopened in 1981, and the colonnade took its present form in 1992.

   Tasting is free, though the spring shuts for the winter. The Singing Fountain is only 130 metres, about 2 minutes, away.

   Local name

   Karolinin pramen

   Hours

   Daily 06:00–18:00 (May–Sep); closed in winter (Oct–Apr)

   Price

   Free

   Website

   marianskelazne.cz ↗

   Location

   Karolina Spring on Google Maps ↗

3. 3

   Singing Fountain

   

   The Singing Fountain is a round basin that rises straight out of the paving, 20 metres across on the outside. In the middle, twelve stone shapes ring a stainless steel sculpture, together forming a water flower floating on the surface. It belongs to the colonnade grounds: the control room with the computer that runs the shows sits within the colonnade complex.

   The fountain grew out of the big rebuild of the colonnade area that began in 1976. Architect Pavel Mikšík was asked to design three fountains, and the central concert fountain, the one with music and a ballet of water and light, was named the Singing Fountain. It was built between 1982 and 1986 and switched on for the first time on 30 April 1986. In 2024 and 2025 it was thoroughly overhauled, with new electronics, lighting and sound and a cleaned tank.

   Most of the machinery is hidden under your feet: a plant room with ten pumps drawing 70 kW, a 25 cubic metre water tank and the switchgear. Ten water circuits are combined to make the shapes you see; 330 jets around the rim aim at the centre, and the central jet reaches 6 metres. The music follows a set programme drawn from dozens of pieces by different composers.

   The fountain only plays in season, with regular shows through the day and evening shows with light projection. Watching is free; time your arrival so you are here a few minutes before a show. Then it is 210 metres, about 4 minutes, to the Goethe House.

   Local name

   Zpívající fontána

   Hours

   Daily 07:00–22:00 (performances odd hours 07:00–19:00, plus 21:00 and 22:00 with light show; season: April 30 – October 31)

   Price

   Free

   Website

   marianskelazne.cz ↗

   Location

   Singing Fountain on Google Maps ↗

4. 4

   Town Museum (Goethe House)

   

   The Town Museum is currently closed, so this is a stop to see from outside, but the house deserves a look. It stands at Goethe Square 11 and was built in 1818 by architect František Habl as the spa house At the Golden Grape, later renamed Goethe-Haus. It is the oldest surviving building of the original settlement of Mariánské Lázně. Since 2015 a poesiomat has stood in front of it.

   The second name honours its most famous guest. Johann Wolfgang Goethe came to Mariánské Lázně on visits between 1820 and 1823, and the museum keeps five memorial rooms for him on the first floor, furnished with period pieces, collection items and letters.

   The museum itself was founded in 1887 and moved into this house after its conversion between 1975 and 1979. Its collections cover famous guests including King Edward VII, the history of spa treatment with models of how springs are captured, kidney stones on display, a period lead and tin bathtub and old examination instruments, plus the story of the town from the Teplá monastery to the present, folk ceramics, pewter, porcelain and glass.

   From the Goethe House it is 340 metres, about 4 minutes, to Cross Spring.

   Status

   Currently closed

   Website

   muzeum-ml.cz ↗

   Location

   Town Museum (Goethe House) on Google Maps ↗

5. 5

   Cross Spring

   

   Cross Spring sits beside the colonnade in an impressive pavilion with 72 columns, designed by local builder Antonín Thurner; the columned hall went up between 1818 and 1826. This is one of the oldest and longest-used springs in town, and the reason the Main Colonnade was built in the first place.

   Its story starts with salt. The annals of the Teplá monastery mention a salt spring here in 1710, and its original name was Salt Spring. In 1749 Damián Schultz, a pharmacist from Teplá, tidied the site and put up a tall wooden cross as a landmark, which gave the spring its present name. In 1790 a small chapel with a bell replaced the cross; it was consecrated in 1808, held Sunday services and was pulled down in 1820 to make way for a larger chapel. In 1955 and 1956 the spring was captured anew with deeper boreholes.

   Expect a salty taste: the water is strongly mineralised, high in sodium and dissolved salts, and its sulphates make it a laxative. That is why it has been used for stomach, gall bladder and liver complaints and metabolic conditions such as obesity and gout. For a walking tour, take a small sip out of curiosity rather than a full cup.

   The spring is free to visit. Next comes the longest leg so far, 560 metres and about 8 minutes, to Forest Spring in the northern part of town.

   Local name

   Křížový pramen

   Hours

   Daily 06:00–18:00

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Cross Spring on Google Maps ↗

6. 6

   Forest Spring

   

   Forest Spring rises in the spa park beside the Třebízský brook, and its surroundings are among the most beautifully laid out parkland in town. The round classicist pavilion is a protected cultural monument. Look around the grounds for the sculpture group Goethe and the Muse by the German sculptor Heinrich Drake from 1975, a memorial stone to the writer Václav Beneš Třebízský, who spent the last days of his life here in 1884, and a recent music pavilion used for orchestra concerts in summer.

   The spring was already known in 1683 under the German name Schneidsäuerling. It was captured in 1827, became Forest Spring around 1828 and got a wooden pavilion in 1830, glazed on its north and east sides in 1834. In 1840 Abbot Melchior Mahr had that replaced by a round temple with 16 Corinthian columns, and in 1869 builder Friedrich Zickler gave it the classicist look you see today. It was glazed again during a reconstruction in the second half of the twentieth century.

   The water is an iron-bearing acidulous spring at about 7.6 °C and quite unlike the others in composition. It mildly neutralises stomach acid and has been used for digestive complaints, and for gargling, rinsing and inhalation with upper respiratory problems. Guests used to flavour it with lemon juice or thin it with whey.

   Drinking is free. The pavilion closes for the winter, but the outdoor pipe right by the brook is accessible at any hour. The last leg is the longest, 890 metres and about 12 minutes, to the Anglican Church, a second building by Friedrich Zickler.

   Local name

   Lesní pramen

   Hours

   Original outdoor spring source always accessible 24/7; historic pavilion temporarily closed (winter seasonal closure Oct–Apr)

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Forest Spring on Google Maps ↗

7. 7

   Anglican Church

   

   The Anglican Church sits on a slope below Ruská street and looks as if it had been lifted out of an English village: a single nave of bare red brick, a steep tiled gable roof with a round cross at each end, a large eight-part rose window in the front and a stone portal sheltered by a wooden porch. The pointed windows, each paired with a simple rosette, show where its neo-Gothic designer was heading.

   It exists because of a widow. Ann Scott of Rondono gave 12,000 gulden to build it in memory of her late husband, John Scott of Rondono, and the Teplá monastery provided the land free of charge. The plans came from architect William Burges, the construction was led by Friedrich Zickler, and the church was consecrated to Jesus Christ in 1879. Mayor August Herzig was registered as its owner and also looked after it. The church became famous through the stays of King Edward VII between 1897 and 1909.

   After the First World War its bronze bell, which had been taken down, was hung again and the interior renewed. Formally it belonged to a London society for spreading the Anglican faith abroad, with Herzig's son, Dr. August Herzig, as administrator. After the Second World War nobody cared for it while ownership remained unclear; it was closed in 1973 and looted repeatedly into the 1990s. Burges designed a similar church in Fleet in Hampshire, largely destroyed by fire in 2015, which makes this one all the more valuable.

   Inside you would find a semicircular apse set off from the nave by a stone arch and a pointed wooden vault. The church opens one hour before scheduled events and concerts, with tickets per event, so if a concert fits your evening, it is a lovely way to end the walk. Otherwise enjoy the exterior; the route finishes here.

   Local name

   Anglikánský kostel

   Hours

   1 hour before scheduled events/concerts

   Price

   Variable (event-specific tickets)

   Location

   Anglican Church on Google Maps ↗

Shorter Ways to Walk the Spa Route

If you have less time or have already seen part of town, two cuts of the route work well. Both keep the recommended order.

The colonnade quarter only

Stops: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

For a short visit or a first evening in town: the Main Colonnade, Karolina Spring, the Singing Fountain, the Goethe House from outside and Cross Spring. It is 890 m and 13 minutes of walking, everything is free, and with a fountain show you need about an hour and a half.

Parks and the English church

Stops: 5, 6, 7

For anyone who already knows the colonnade: start at Cross Spring, walk 8 minutes to Forest Spring in its park and then 12 minutes on to the Anglican Church. That is 1,450 m and 20 minutes of walking, about an hour in total. The springs are free; the church interior needs a ticket for whatever event is on.

How Long This Mariánské Lázně Spa Walk Takes

The pure walking time is 33 minutes, and the legs are short: the first four stops sit within a few minutes of each other, and only the last two legs, 8 and 12 minutes, take you out into the parks. Most of your time goes into looking, tasting and waiting for the fountain.

A sample morning: start at the Main Colonnade at 10:20 and give it twenty minutes, reach Karolina Spring at 10:43 and the Singing Fountain at 10:55, in time for the next show. Leave at 11:15, look at the Goethe House from 11:19, arrive at Cross Spring at 11:33, Forest Spring at 11:56 and the Anglican Church at about 12:28. That makes roughly two and a quarter hours. Add a concert at the church and the evening is spoken for.

Before You Set Off from the Main Colonnade

• Start and finish: The recommended start is the Main Colonnade; you can join at any stop and pick up the route from there. The walk ends at the Anglican Church, not where it began.
• Best season: Outside the winter everything on the route is running: Karolina Spring and the Forest Spring pavilion close for the winter, while the outdoor pipe at Forest Spring and Cross Spring stay in use all year.
• Time of day: Go in the morning or early afternoon, while the springs are open, and set off so that you reach the Singing Fountain shortly before an odd hour.
• Costs: Every spring, the colonnade and the fountain are free. The museum is currently closed, and the church charges only for its events. The GPS route is free; the AI Tour Guide starts with 100 free credits, after which you choose between €19.99 for this tour all-inclusive with no time limit or €5 per hour.

Common Questions About Walking Mariánské Lázně