Thermalium – Wellness and Relaxation at the Oldest Spa in Central Europe

After several hikes in Czech Switzerland (more in the previous article: Pravčice Gate), we were looking forward to the moment when we would immerse our tired feet, and indeed our whole body, in the thermal water in Teplice in northern Bohemia (90 km from Prague and just 60 km from Dresden), which is considered to be the oldest spa in Central Europe.
The Thermalium is a unique complex with thermal pools, the largest with pure thermal water in the Czech Republic. For relaxation after hiking, I most enjoyed the pool with a water temperature of 35°C. You don’t swim in this pool but you relax, letting the warm water take effect on you as well as one of the hundreds of massage and rehabilitation jets. This bath helps to regenerate muscles and promotes mobility of the spine and joints – which was exactly what we needed after the hike.

We also tried out the second pool (20 m long), which is used for rehabilitative swimming. The water is a bit cooler here – 29°C.

At the end, we marched a few more laps on the Kneipp trail. These are tanks with pebbles at the bottom, one filled with hot (40°C) and the other with cold (only 10°C) water. This walking promotes blood circulation and increases metabolism.
All pools use water from the thermal spring Pravřídlo.
Saunas complement the complex: Finnish, Finnish salt, steam, tropical and bio sauna.
The Thermalium is open (not only for spa guests) every day from 7.30 am (saunas from 10.00 am) to 9.00 pm. Entrance fees and further information can be found on the website: Thermalium
According to legend, a shepherd accidentally discovered the local hot springs when one of his piglets got its foot stuck in a shaft. The shepherd dipped his hurting hand in the warm water while rescuing the piglet. When the pain seemed to ease, he repeated this more often until the pain disappeared. Perhaps, instead, this is how the lame piglet’s leg was cured. Some say this, others say that. However, it doesn’t matter. This story was told by the chronicler Václav Hájek from Libočany, who dated it in 762. The thermal water, however, originated here 18 thousand years ago and its effects were known to the Romans and Celts long before the shepherd with the pigs. Archaeologists have found coins here that the Romans and Celts used to throw into the water as thanks for healing.
Queen Judith of Thuringia (the second wife of King Vladislav II and mother of Přemysl Otakar I) was the first in Bohemia to come up with the idea of using thermal springs for healing. In the 12th century, she had a women’s monastery built in Teplice on a rock outcrop “near the warm waters”, which also included a hospital.
In the 16th century, spa houses began to be built in the town, and word of the healing hot springs spread beyond the borders of Bohemia. The Swiss philosopher and physician Paracelsus, the founder of modern medical science, spent ten years here and listed Teplice among the ten most important spas in the world. Today, the Teplice Spa specialises in movement problems.

The Thermalium is part of the Beethoven Spa House, which has been used to accommodate spa guests since the 14th century. It is named after the German composer, one of the most famous visitors to Teplice. Beethoven stayed here in 1811 and 1812, underwent medical treatments, wrote letters to his mysterious mistress (which he never sent), composed the 7th and 8th symphonies and began work on the Ninth. The building houses an authentic room where he lived and a themed restaurant where evenings of music are held. You’ll also find wallpaper made from copies of his scores, and the entrance hall is decorated with a beautiful Crystal Symphony installation made of glass drops, resembling musical notes.

No other spa can boast such a long list of visitors from the ranks of European emperors, kings, princes, archdukes and princes. No wonder that Teplice has often been referred to as “Little Paris”, the “Salon of Europe” or the “Exhibition Hall of the Monarchy”. The first to visit was Saxon Duchess Katharina of Mecklenburg, followed by other crowned heads – Russian Tsars, Prussian Kings, Swedish and Dutch Kings, the future Emperors Joseph II and Leopold II, the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I, Crown Prince Rudolf, the last Austrian Emperor Charles I with his wife Zita and many other monarchs. Teplice also became the place where representatives of Austria, Prussia and Russia signed an agreement against Napoleon in September 1813. Then in October, another treaty between Austria and England was signed here. For three centuries, Saxon Prince-Electors were regular guests, and the spa became a sort of summer residence of the Saxon court. A bronze bust commemorates the Saxon monarch Augustus the Strong, who came here almost every year.

However, it wasn’t just the high nobility who had tired and aching joints. Apart from Beethoven, Teplice was also visited by other composers – Richard Wagner, Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann and Frédéric Chopin, among the writers – Goethe and among the scientists German geographer Alexander von Humboldt.
A Renaissance castle was later built on the site of the Benedictine convent founded by Queen Judith. Today, the castle, located on Castle Square, is a regional museum.

What else can you see at this square? We visited Teplice at a time when the town was preparing for the Beer Festival. We were slightly obstructed in our view of some of the buildings by stalls or floating balloons, for example in the shape of beer half-pints.

The Baroque plague column of the Holy Trinity – the dominant feature of the square. Interestingly, plague columns were mostly erected out of gratitude after the end of the epidemic. In Teplice, the column was erected in thanks for the fact that the epidemic had avoided the town. The column is 20 m high, it is one of the tallest in Czechia.

The column comes from the workshop of the famous Austrian sculptor Matthias Bernard Braun. The figural decoration (various saints) is attributed directly to Braun.

The Church of St. John the Baptist, the patron saint of the town, built in 1585, with a rare Baroque interior.

If you are here at the right time (Friday, Saturday, Sunday :10:00 – 12:00 & 13:00 – 16:00) and the weather is nice, then be sure to go up the tower to enjoy the spectacular views in all directions.

There is a small fee (€2) to climb the tower, for up-to-date information: HERE
In the tower, you will also meet the watchman, but how can that be? The man is sleeping in bed!

It is said that the watchman fell asleep and didn’t raise the alarm when a fire broke out in 1793, which devastated the whole town. The houses were wooden at the time, and 155 of the 200 burned down. It is admirable that both the town and the spa have been restored. The new buildings were built in the classical style.

From the tower, you can see the inner courtyard of the castle with the remains of the Romanesque basilica and a crypt where Queen Judith was buried for almost 900 years (until her remains were transferred to Prague).

The second church in the Castle Square is the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, originally a castle chapel, dating from the 16th century. Today it serves as an Orthodox church.

Another interesting building is the Prince de Ligne Hotel in the Empire style from the beginning of the 19th century. In the past, it was one of the most important hotels in Teplice. The Golden Cross House, where the treaty of alliance against Napoleon was signed, also stands on the square. The Russian Tsar Alexander I stayed in the house and commanded his army from there.

We also walked around the Castle Garden. Its form has changed several times in the past – from a strictly geometric French garden to a free English park. The Garden House at the edge of the garden used to be a gathering place for the select society of spa guests and the local elite.
Above the entrance, you can see the coat of arms of the Clary-Aldringen family, who have contributed greatly to the development of both the town and the spa. In addition, the pioneers of hiking also came from this family; you can find out more about this in the aforementioned article about the Pravčická Gate.

Spa guests have been walking in this park since the 17th century. When you come here, try to imagine how the poet Goethe and the composer Beethoven walked together. Opposite them, the imperial family approached with their entourage. Goethe stepped aside, took off his hat and bowed. Beethoven, on the other hand, folded his hands behind his back and walked proudly through the middle of the procession. This forced Archduke Rudolf to doff his hat and Empress Maria Ludovika to be the first to salute him. According to German writer Bettina von Arnim, this incident happened in Teplice in 1812. Beethoven accused Goethe of being too servile. Thus ended their walk together and they never met again.
The Upper and Lower Ponds can be found in the garden. Here, you can sit on a bench, watch the swans and ducks or lock your love in a padlock on the metal railing.

After the walk through the Castle Garden, we returned to the Castle Square via the Bird Steps. This double staircase connects the castle courtyard and a small square with the Bird’s Fountain.

We bought spa wafers (my favourite are the ones with chilli-chocolate filling) and at least got a glimpse of Lázeňská Street, where the first stone houses were built in the 16th century to accommodate spa guests. Some have nice signboards, like the Golden Harp or the Golden Sun. There are also commemorative plaques on the façade of both houses commemorating Beethoven and his stays in Teplice.

On one of the houses we also found a niche where the water of the original spring Pravřídlo flows out. The spout is shaped like the head of a pig, what else?

We also walked to the town hall at the Square of Freedom. It is a classical building with a tower. On top of it is a weathervane with the year 1806, when construction was completed. The town hall also has the coat of arms of the town which includes a bowl and the head of John the Baptist.

Near the town hall, you can visit the Tourist Information Centre, choose from a wide range of brochures about the town and the surrounding area (also in English) and stamp your diary with one of the town’s symbols. The choice of stamps is large, which only proves the popularity of this attraction, especially with domestic, Czech tourists.

In the past, Teplice offered its guests not only spa treatments but also various entertainment options. A theatre used to be located in the castle and served only the castle estate. When the public and spa guests started to visit it, the capacity was not enough. A new theatre was built, which later burned down. Today, the Erzgebirge Theatre (Krušnohorské divadlo) stands in its place.

In the 1980s, it was decided to build a Culture House with a glass colonnade near the theatre. However, the colonnade is only symbolic. When Beethoven walked around Teplice, the local thermal water was still recommended for drinking cures. Today, it is only used for bathing. However, its original temperature of 42°C must be cooled to 38°C for bath therapy.

A stone colonnade in the shape of a horseshoe stood in Teplice for almost a hundred years. Today, a semicircular metal pergola with a fountain in the middle of the Spa Garden near the theatre resembles it.

This garden is a pleasant place to sit, relax or (for me) even to take pictures of butterflies. 🙂

Where to stay:
During my visit to Teplice, I stayed at the Wellness Hotel Monopol – a nice hotel in the centre from where we could easily walk to the Thermalium and all the sights mentioned above. We didn’t have time to try out the wellness facilities (there is also a beer spa on offer) as we preferred to visit the Thermalium.

Where to eat:
The hotel includes the Monopol Brewery, housed in a building dating back to 1850. Originally used as the Varieté at the Swan, the interior is still reminiscent of First Republic elegance.

From traditional Czech cuisine, we chose deer steak with chestnut croquettes and mashed potatoes…

…and roast duck with red cabbage and dumplings. All the dishes were delicious. You can order a beer tasting at the restaurant as well.

For dessert, we didn’t choose anything traditional this time, but we couldn’t resist the Pavlova on offer in the hotel’s cafe.

More information about Spa Teplice: Teplice Spa
More information about Teplice: Visit Teplice
More interesting places in the region: Ústí Region and in Czechia: Visit Czechia