Karlovy Vary
Encyclopedia : K : KA : KAR : Karlovy Vary
| Statistics | |
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| Area: | 59 km² |
| Population: | 52,022 (2003) |
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Karlovy Vary [listen] , also known in English as Carlsbad (German: ), is a spa city situated in the western part of the Czech Republic on the confluence of the Ohře and Teplá rivers. Karlovy Vary is named after Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in the 1370s. It is historically famous for its hot springs (13 main springs, about 300 smaller springs, and the warm-water Teplá River).
Until their expulsion in 1945 the majority of the population of the city spoke German.
Karlovy Vary is a popular tourist destination, especially for international celebrities visiting for spa treatment. The city is also known for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and popular Czech liqueur Karlovarská Becherovka. The glass manufacturer Moser Glass is located in Karlovy Vary. The 2006 film Last Holiday featured the city's Grandhotel Pupp.
Carlsbad, New Mexico and nearby Carlsbad Caverns National Park take their names from Karlovy Vary.
Famous residents
- František Běhounek, scientist and novelist
- Karl Hermann Frank, Nazi official
- Walter Kaufman, composer
- August Labitzky, composer
- Johann Josef Loschmidt, scientist
- August Pfizmaier, Orientalist
- Walter Serner, dadaist
- Hana Soukupová, supermodel
- Karin Stoiber, First Lady of Bavaria
- Tomas Vokoun, hockey player
- Carl Weidl-Raymon, early proponent of European unification
External links
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