Golf Club Kynžvart

KYNŽVART CASTLE

Kynžvart Castle with its extensive park is located about a kilometre to the southwest of Lázně Kynžvart ("Kynžvart Spa"). A Renaissance fortress used to stand here from the late 16th century. The stone from the fortress was used for the construction of a Baroque castle less than 100 years later. Klement Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar von Metternich (whose family owned the area from 1623 till 1845) had the Baroque castle extended and rebuilt in the Vienna Classical style and had an English park planted around the castle. He borrowed some 900,000 guldens from the Rothschilds to finance the project. Most people associate Prince Metternich with "Metternich's absolutism" or with his possibly being the biological father of writer Božena Němcová, but it was Metternich who created a huge collection of works of art, coins, weapons and particularly books, in many cases hand-written manuscripts and incunabula, at Kynžvart Castle. You can have a look at Metternich's study with its folding table which was used during the Vienna Congress, the castle armoury and a cabinet of curiosities. From May till September, the castle is open to the public from Tuesday till Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (lunch break from 12 till 12.30 p.m.), in April and October only at weekends and public holidays. Sighseeing tours in the other months, except for January, can be arranged in advance.

For more informace www.zamek-kynzvart.eu

 

KYNŽVART SPA

The town dates back to the second half of the 13th century, when Přemysl Otakar II built the border castle of Kunigeswart on the rocky promontory (the ruin of the castle now overlooks the town). Kynžvart became a spa many years later when the first mineral springs were discovered here. The remedial effects of the water are supported by the unique local conditions – the location is just above the level of ground fogs, with longer hours of sunlight thanks to its south-west orientation and a constant high air humidity caused by thick mixed forest. For more than a cenutry adults have come here for treatment (particularly of inflammation in the upper respiratory tract and skin conditions), but since 1950 the spa has been reserved for children only. To other visitors Kynžvart Spa offers the interesting architecture of the town centre and the surrounding unspoilt nature. Along with the nearby castle and the golf course, you can discover local points of interest and hiking trails which lead to places such as the Jewish cemetery, the Kynžvart natural stone monument or the nearby Smraďoch and Tajga (near Kladská) peat bogs.

For more information, go to www.laznekynzvart.cz

 

BEČOV CASTLE

  Bečov Castle was built by the Lords of Osek at the junction of major land roads in the 14th century. This oldest and highest part of the gothic castle is still inaccessible to the public (this does not apply to the virtual tour at castlebecov.eu). Bečov later changed owners who added more and more buildings to the gothic fortress, such as the four-storey residential tower ("donjon"), the renaissance Pluhovský Palace (named after the owners at the time, the Pluhové family from Rabštejn), and eventually the baroque castle, garden and park, which are now open to public. The garden terraces afford a gorgeous view of the Teplá river and there is a nice walk from the castle to the nearby gallows hill, which was used for executions for almost the entire middle ages. The castle is open everyday from May till September from 9 a.m. till 4 p.m. (in July and August till 5 p.m.).

For more information, visit www.zamek-becov.cz

 

RELIQUARY OF ST. MAURUS

  One of th biggest attractions of Bečov Castle and a historical monument of European importance is the richly decorated reliquary for the remains of St. John Baptist, Sv. Timoteus and St. Maurus, after whom it is named: the reliquary of St. Maurus. It was made at the beginning of the 13th century for a Benedictine abbey in Florennes (now in Belgium). It stayed there until the French Revolution when the monastery was plundered an the reliquary, seriously damaged, was transferred to a local church. Count Alfred de Beaufort bought it from the church in 1838, had it restored and brought it with him to his domain in Bečov. His offspring collaborated with the Nazis during the war and had to flee after the war ended with only the most necessary personal belongings. But just before they left they buried the reliquary in the embankment under the castle chapel. In June 1984 US citizen Danny Douglas started negotiations at the Czechoslovak Embassy in Vienna for the purchase of an unspecified historical monument for USD 250,000. It transpired during the negotiations that the thing in question was a hollow object the size of a conference table of high historical and artistic value and that the object was buried under the ground about 100km east of Nurnberg. Following investigation in the archives, the detectives found photographs and a description of the reliquary from 1932 and started investigating in Bečov early in November 1985. They didn't have to search for long – the reliquary was discovered on the second day.

More at www.zamek-becov.cz

 

LOKET CASTLE

The construction of the castle began in the second half of the 13th century, possibly in response to the increased construction activity in the neighbouring Cheb region. In the days of Charles IV (who proclaimed it the inalianable property of the Czech crown) it served as an important border fortress. At that time Loket already had a large settlement round the castle, the foundation of the present town of Loket. In the 15th and the 16th centuries, Loket was held by various noble families, finally becoming the property of the town itself. The castle lost its importance as a border fortress, was only partly in use and gradually became dilapidated before it was converted into prison in 1822, serving this function until 1949. The reconstruction of the castle to its original shape began in the 1960s, including extensive archeological research, and has continued to this day. For example, the rotunda and a part of the Lower Bastion were made accessible to the public for the first time. And why is the place called Loket ("Elbow")? Because below the rocky promontory on which the castle stands, the Ohře river forms a curve resembling human elbow. Open daily from 9 a.m. till 4 p.m., from April till October till 5 p.m.

For more information, visit www.loket.cz

 

CHEB

The first records of Cheb (or Eger in German) as the centre of the region date back to 1061. Cheb had alternately belonged to Bohemia and German lands before it was ultimately incorporated into the Bohemian Crown. Nonetheless, there was always a German majority in the town, which became oddly apparent after the expulsion of the Germans after the war when the town was virtually deserted. The pre-war population was only achieved again in the 1990s. Fortunately, the historical centre of Cheb has not been affected by the massive waves of modern reconstruction, and therefore has been exceptionally well-preserved, including a part of the medieval castle (built by Friedrich Barbarossa in 1180), the ramparts, the central square with 11 medieval merchant houses ("Špalíček") and the whole original plan of the town. Many other monuments remind us of the rich history of the town, located on the historically "hot" border. For instance, in today's Town Museum just behind Špalíček Albrecht of Wallenstein was murdered on 25 February 1634.

For more information visit: www.mestocheb.cz

 

MARIENBAD

  It was originally a desolate moorland. Then Hroznata, the abbot of the nearby monastery of Teplá, set up a settlement here at the end of the 12th century. The monks discovered the first springs, using them for extracting salt to be sold as a laxative. About a hundred springs with various therapeutic properties have ave been discovered here to date. However, the spa emerged much later. Established in 1786 (the year of the completion of the first spa building), it was named after Mary's (Maria's) spring (which was originally called Smradlavý ‒ "The Smelly One"). Apart from the undoubted therapeutic qualities of the local springs, the beauty of the local landscape forms part of the treatment. It has attracted celebrities from the beginning, such as Goethe and English king Edward VII.J. W. Goethe visited Marienbad several times (he is said to have had his biggest romance here), while Edward VII's visit prompted crowds of other "important" guests to come to Marienbad, which led to the construction of new houses and to the extension of parts. To this day the town lives on the spa, offering therapies for locomotive organs, kidney and upper respiratory tract conditions. But the service offer is not limited to these therapies as the spa provides health and relaxation for everyone.

For more information, visit: www.marianskelazne.cz

 

SLAVKOV DEER

Only the red deer (Cervus elaphus) is native to the Slavkov Forest. In other areas of the Czech Republic you will find the descendants of deer imported from all four corners of Europe, but these deep and inaccessible forests have remained the home of these legendary stags with their impressive antlers. Statistics reveal that a total of 240 first-rate stags were hunted here between 1954 and 2005. The majestic animals thrive in the area thanks to the interplay of several factors. The first is the vastness of the hunting grounds, including the forests owned by count Schönburg-Waldenburg. After they were confiscated, the Prameny military area was established which, paradoxically, ensured the animals excellent conditions for reproduction. At the same time, the "Iron Curtain" along the border made it difficult for the Slavkov deer to migrate westwards. After the war the red deer only had to deal with competition from their Asian relatives, the sika deer (Cervus nippon, also known as the Japanese deer). These sika deer were imported into Europe at the turn of the 20th century where they adapted successfully. In our country, the sika deer were mostly kept in game preserves in the Pilsen region. However, after the war they escaped due to damaged fences and negligence. The first sika deer was hunted in the Slavkov Forest in 1963 and numbers have been rising ever since. The management of the Natural Protected Area claims that the numbers of sika deer have become excessive despite the fact that more than 160 animals are shot here every year.

 

DYLEŇ

Situated about 15 kilometres from Marienbad, Dylen was one of the strategic points of the Cold War. The 939m summit is only half a kilometre from the border with the then "hostile" West Germany and that is why the Czechoslovak Army placed a surveillance and tapping tower here. Designed to "guard socialism", the garrison monitored radio operations across almost the whole of Bavaria. The tower is now used as a normal radio transmitter. Unfortunately it's not accessible as a look-out tower. However, Dyleň is worth climbing anyway for its view. Several hundred metres below, you can also find one of the several "geographic centres" of Europe. Tradition has it that in 1813 Napoleon Bonaparte's surveyors honoured Dyleň with this title. A stone column stands almost on the Czech-Bavarian frontier marking their decision. If you bring your children along, don't forget to tell them one of the mysterious stories from the book "Pověsti hory Dyleň" ("Tales of Dyleň").

The King of Spruces. Several stately spruce trees in Bohemia have aspired to the title of the King of Spruces. A 57-metre tall spruce on Boubín in the Šumava mountains reigned over the spruce kingdom until 1970. Until the storm in June 2008, the tallest tree in the Czech Republic was the 58-metre "Těptín Spruce" east of Prague. In September 2009 a storm in Labský důl in the Giant Mountains uprooted its successor ‒ the "Giant Mountain King", which was 52 metres tall and at least 230 years old, remembering the times of Maria Theresia. In West Bohemia, two trees growing behind the headquarters of Marienbad Spa were alternately designated Kings before the second world war. However, neither Reitenberger's nor Severin's spruces survived the tough winter of 1946/1947. The present king is Šindelář's spruce, which grows to the north-east of Marienbad behind the Srnčí hřbet ("Deer Ridge") and between the Freedom Alley and Smetana's Alley. It was discovered by forester Vladimír Šindelář in 1972, who ensured that the spruce was excluded from the felling plan, which led to the spruce being declared a "protected tree" in 1985. The spreading spruce has a trunk with a circumference of 428cm and, according to the latest measurement, is 38 metres tall. It is estimated to have sprouted sometime around 1818, i.e. at the time when Marienbad was declared a public spa.

 

THE REGION OF MINERAL WATER

There is no other area in the Czech Republic with so many mineral water springs as there are in the Slavkov Forest. 42 ouf of the 84 mineral water springs are exploited in Marienbad alone. But if you add springs in the town's neighbourhood, the number exceeds one hundred. Where did the springs come from? The Slavkov Forest is a geologically unique area due to a tectonic fault which emerged during the final period of volcanic activity in the Tertiary. Its cracks and rifts allow precipitation to trickle into the depths where it is enriched with minerals before ascending to the surface. The more volcanic carbon dioxide the water aborbs, the more acidic it gets and the more it dissolves the bedrock, which varies considerably across the relatively small area of the Slavkov Forest, ranging from acid granites to alkaline amphibolites and ultrabasic serpentites. The result is a rich variety of mineral waters which differ from each other in temperature, gas content and dissolved substances, depending on particular conditions. From the point of view of beneficial effects on human health, the most important are mineral water springs that contain magnesium. This element is macerated from serpentine – a grey and green metamorphosed rock, interwoven with veinlets and spots, so that it resembles snake skin. Most of Slavkov Forest's acidic mineral waters originate close to the earth's surface, and are therefore rather cold, whereas Carlsbad's hot springs come from about 2km under ground and are less mineralized.

Tired of the crowds in the spa colonnades? Discover mineral water springs in a village called Prameny ("Springs") perched on the plateau of the Slavkov Forest. There used to be spa here too, now in ruins. Out of several local springs, the Obecni pramen ("Municipal Spring") is available to the public. It is located across the bridge, opposite the bus stop. And Farská mineral water springs lie only several kilometres away in the middle of the forest. Just follow the path marked in blue.

 

TEPLÁ MONASTERY

  The Premonstratensian monastery Teplá was founded by the beatified Hroznata in 1193. The extensive complex of ecclesiastical and utility buildings, surrounded by parkland, is situated about 2km away from the centre of the eponymous town. The oldest extant part of the monastery is the roman-gothic church of the Annunciation of Virgin Mary. At the turn of the 17th and the 18th centuries, famous architect Kryštof Dientzenhofer built a baroque prelacy and a convent in the place of the original gothic buildings, destroyed by fire. The utility buildings emerged gradually in the 15th and the 19th centuries.

There is a unique monastery library, the country's second largest by the number of volumes ‒ it contains about 100,000 books. In 1950 the monastery was closed down and was converted into a barracks for the Czechoslovak People's Army which left it in a lamentable condition. Since 1990 when the monastery was returned to the Premonstratensians, the whole complex has gradually been restored. There are regular holy masses in the church and the monastery is open to visitors, offering concerts and exhibitions. For more information, visit www.klastertepla.cz.

 

SLAVKOV FOREST

The resort of Golf Club Kynžvart is located on the Western slopes of the Slavkov Forest. The 610-sq-km area with the most continuous forest in the Czech Republic fills the triangle between Carlsbad, Marienbad and Franzensbad. The Slavkov Forest is of key importance to the spa as it contains large peat bogs which retain water and gradually release it into the base rock, from which mineral water springs are supplied. Peat bogs with their typical flora aside, you will find many rare plant species in the Slavkov Forest (for instance, mountain arnice, found in the crest of the local protected landscape area) and a lot of forest animals. It is not unusual to meet boars and stags during a walk, or at least their traces. They often dig into hiking trails, and, unfortunately, also into our greens. The area is criss-crossed by hiking trails. They will lead you to all the places of interest, from the forest's highest point at Lesný (983m) to its lowest at the Ohře river in Karlovy Vary, from peat bogs with bridge trails (Kladská, Smraďoch) to historical monuments (Teplá Premonstratensian monastery, Loket Castle, Kynžvart Castle).

The unique character of the Slavkov Forest is closely linked to its history. The name itself is rather new as the mountain range was called the "Imperial Forest" ("Kaiserwald") until the end of the war. The name dates back to the time of Charles IV who, after long disputes, expelled the local lords allied to his enemy Ludwig the Bavarian, and placed a ban on any construction activities here. However, the Slavkov Forest was most strongly affected by events after the second world war. The original German population was expelled from here, and tne the Czech population when the Czechoslovak People's Army decided to set up a military training area ‒ called Prameny ‒ in this densely forested and sparsely populated area. The army was here until 1954 but they had to leave because of uranium mining and the area remained isolated. It was only 20 years later ‒ in 1974 ‒ that the Slavkov Forest became a nature reserve and a protected landscape.

 

TIP FOR A TRIP 1 - KLADSKÁ 5KM

  About 5km away from the course in the direction of Kynžvart lies a picturesque cluster of wooden houses in the Tirolian-Swiss style near a lake surrounded by peat bogs. Lysina ("Bald Spot"), the second highest spot of the Slavkov Forest, overlooks Kladská. Contrary to its name, it is overgrown with trees. Kladská seems like a place with a rich and long history, but this is not quite the case. The dominant feature of the place, the hunting castle, was built was late as 1875 along with the other buildings. There was only a saw mill before. Other buildings from the late 19th century include the inn called "The Mating Grouse" (it still serves its original purpose, supplying delicious venison), the coachman's lodge, the gamekeeper's lodge, two lodges for the servants and other utility buildings. All the buildings were originally on display at an exhibition in Vienna, where Count Otto Friedrich Schönburg-Waldeburg, the founder of Kladská, had them dismantled, transported to the Slavkov Forest and assembled by Swiss carpenters. The neighbourhood was then cultivated as an English park and the forest was used as a rich hunting ground. Thanks to high numbers of deer, and the resulting high chance of shooting something, Kladská was visited by many famous people, such as the English king Edward VII, Archduke of Austria Ferdinand d'Este, French Prime Minister Clemenceau, Marshal Konev or the first astronaut Juri Gagarin. Although now Kladská's major attraction is the footpath across Tajga peat bog (newly restored wooden gangway, markings and information boards form a several-kilometre-long route acorss the bog), it used to be something of a hunter's paradise. In the time of Sigismund Schönburg–Waldenburga, a son of the founder of Kladská, it was the second-largest hunting ground in the Czech Republic. Sigismund was a passionate hunter himself. After he died in 1936, he was buried behind the hunting castle as specified in his will. His death was allegedly connected to the fact that he shot a white stag. A local legend states that anyone who shoots a white stag will die within a year and a day. Sigismund's tomb has survived to this day and has been opened with the use of violence several times, by US troops, then by Czech troops and eventually by thieves who thought they would find gold inside. That is why the tomb has been sealed with concrete so that the lid cannot be lifted.

A story from slavkovskyles.sweb.cz website

  The modern history of Kladská is affected by the unfortunate decision to set up a military training area called Prameny between 1948 and 1958. A gate with armed guards used to stand on the junction of the Kladská‒Kynžvart roads and the castle served as a military training area too. At that time Kladská was visited by Communist president Klement Gottwald. He delighted in the view of socialist artillery destroying the royal mining town of Litrbachy. The Communist president was seated at a larch table, which was later called Gottwald's table, but it is not in Kladská anymore. According to the latest information, it was taken to Arnoltov and has since disappeared.

Soviet Marshal Konev has quite bad memories of his stay here.During his stay in Carlsbad in 1946 he visited Kladská in the company of General Svoboda. First he tried his luck at fishing in the lake, but didn't catch anything. Then he tried hunting for a stag, but a cartridge got stuck in his new pump gun (a gift from Zbrojovka company) and again he came back empty-handed. Towards the close of his stay he suffered stomach ache. Atropin had to be brought quickly from a pharmacy in Marienbad. However, the pharmacists couldn't read the prescription which was written in Cyrillic script and the driver brought the poor Marshal eye drops instead. The Marshal was furious, threw the drops into the fireplace and immediately left for Carlsbad.

 

TIP FOR A TRIP 2 - ZOIGL

  Less than half an hour by car from the course lies Oberpfalz in Bavaria. The region is home to one of the most interesting beer curiosities ‒ the Zoigl beer.

Zoigl is a type of Bavarian beer, or rather a beer style. The first records of the beer date back to the 14th century. At the time there were "community breweries" where families with brewing rights brewed their own beer. The families took turns according to a schedule. After brewing the mash (i.e. malt and hops) the "young beer" was taken to a cellar where it was left for a few days to ferment in an open vessel. Then it was poured into closed barrels and left to mature for several weeks. Eventually, when the beer was ready, it was served directly in the house of the family that brewed it, usually in the largest room of the house, together with local specialities, such as sausages, mature cheese, meat jelly and smoked meats. It is now exactly the same as its was before. However, only five community breweries have survived in Oberpfalz ‒ in Neuhaus, Mitterteich, Eslarn, Windischeschenbach and Falkenberg ‒ out of the original dozens. Visit their websites to find the schedules for which beer-brewing family is selling its beer at the moment. Just enter the name of the place and "zoigl". The word comes from the German "Zeichen" (a sign), which was pronounced as "zeigl" in the Oberpfalzer dialect and gradually became distorted into "zoigl". Why a "sign"? When the beer was appropriately matured and could be sold, the brewer, instead of circulating all the houses witht the information, stuck out a pole with a special signed attached to the end of it. The sign constisted of two overlaping triangles, resembling David's star. However, the symbol is much older than the Jewish one, which became frequent only in the 17th century ‒ the first image of the "zoigl" symbol dates back to 1403. The points of the first triangle stand for the three elements required for the manufacture of beer: earth, fire and water. The points of the second triangle stand for the three (and only!) ingredients of beer: water, malt and hops. Oberpfalzer brewers do not add anything else to their beer even now. This means you drink the same beer as people a hunderd or two hundred years ago drank. It is full-bodied, pleasantly bitter and unfiltered, i.e. with a large amount of B-class vitamins. And you are unlucky during your trip and no family has put up the "zoigl" sign (it may happen, but it is rare), try the local supermarkets ‒ they sell bottled zoilg beer from other regions.