Františkovy Lázně

Sister cities

• Bad Soden am Taunus
• Guiyang
• Nizhny Tagil

History

The salutary effects of the surrounding springs were known from the late 14th century on. The medical doctor Georgius Agricola (1494–1555) mentioned the mineral water available to Cheb citizens. The sources from which, according to ancient law, water was drafted and brought to the town, were first used locally for salutary purposes. Later, the water was also shipped in earthenware bottles, and in 1700, it reportedly sold more water than all other spas in the Empire combined. About 1705, an inn was erected at the site of a mineral spring later known as Franzensquelle. On 27 April 1793, the town was officially founded under the name Kaiser Franzensdorf, after Emperor Francis II, and later renamed Franzensbad. The spa was founded by Eger-based doctor Bernhard Adler (1753–1810). He promoted the expansion of spa facilities and the accommodation for those seeking healing and promoted the transformation of the swampy moorland with paths and footbridges to well-known sources. The town was laid out around 24 springs in an orthogonal plan. When in 1791 Adler had a pavilion and a water basin erected at the Franzensquelle, he sparked the Egerer Weibersturm ("Women's storm of Eger") by numerous women who earned their livelihood in the scooping, transport and sale of the water in Eger. Feeling their water-bearing rights threatened, they demolished his premises. The town council of Cheb intervened and made the extension of Franzensbad as a health resort possible. The result was an extensive recreation area, with easy access from the town of Cheb. In 1852, the spa became an independent municipality. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was one of the most famous guests in the early days; his visits to Franzensbad were extensively reported in the book written by Johannes Urzidil Goethe in…

Geography

Františkovy Lázně is located about north of Cheb, in the historical Egerland region. It lies in the westernmost part of the Cheb Basin. The highest point is the hill Na Skále at above sea level. The stream Slatinný potok, a tributary of the Ohře, flows through the municipal territory. The area is rich in fishponds, the largest of which is Amerika. Its western part with an island is protected as a nature reserve and is an important nesting place and migration stop for water birds. The eastern part of the pond is used for recreation.