Surroundings
Franzensbad
city on the UNESCO list
Franzensbad is the smallest spa in the West Bohemian spa triangle. They were founded in 1793 and still retain the character of a chamber spa town from the turn of the century. Their charm is underlined by the comprehensive classicist architecture of the spa buildings and pavilions.
The mild climate of the foothills, the surrounding forests and well-maintained city parks and orchards, all support the healing and strengthening effects of the famous sorrel and make the stay more pleasant for spa guests and visitors. There are 23 healing mineral springs of high-quality, strongly alkaline acids in Franzensbad, peat and natural springs of spring gas are used to treat blood vessels, heart and women’s diseases.
Are you resting actively? Then there is mini golf, fitness, solarium, tennis, mountain bike rental or you can go fishing. Cultural activities will be provided by the theater, cinema, colonnade concerts, the Orthodox Church of St. Olga or Spa Music Summer and Literary Franzensbad.
Surroundings of Františkovy Lázně
The surroundings of Franzensbad also have a lot to offer. Head to historic Cheb, the SOOS nature reserve, Seeberg Castle or the dense adjacent forests or the water.
Cheb
Cheb is one of the oldest towns in the Czech Republic – its history dates back to the 11th century. The following century left a significant mark on the face of the city in the form of a Romanesque castle – the imperial Palatinate (the only one in the Czech Republic) – and the two-storey chapel of St. Erhard and Ursula, built by Friedrich Barbarossa.
The most prominent in the urban area is the picturesque square with the characteristic gabled roofs of houses and the half-timbered Špalíček or the Gothic parish church of St. Nicholas and Elizabeth. The old house No. 3 (Cheb Museum building) became famous as the place where the Imperial Generalissimo Albrecht of Wallenstein was assassinated in 1634.
Even today, there is a clear intertwining of different cultures, thanks to which Cheb has become a natural and lively center of the Egrensis Euroregion.
SOOS
The reservation is 6 km from Františkovy Lázně. It was declared in 1964 on an area of 221 ha, only a part of it is accessible, namely a 1.2 km long floor educational trail with descriptions and explanations. It is a large peat bog and moor, where a large number of mineral springs and pure carbon dioxide in the so-called moffets – mud volcanoes.
The nature trail leads along the bottom of a dry lake, which had salt (mineral) water. Today we find here a European rarity – the so-called diatomite shield – accumulated diatomaceous earth from the shells of lake algae diatoms settled at the bottom of the lake. It is a “lunar” landscape furrowed by erosion and covered with a yellow and white layer of precipitated mineral salts.
Many protected animals live in the reserve and a number of wetland and salt-loving plants grow here.
Seeberg Castle
It is located in the village of Ostroh, 5 km from Františkovy Lázně in the direction of Aš. After its foundation, Seeberg Castle was one of the military strongholds that formed the background to the German colonization of Cheb.
The original Romanesque castle probably stood here as early as the end of the 12th century, but the first written record dates back to 1322. Ludvík Bavorský then stopped the castle and the whole of Cheb, Jan of Luxembourg, for promising to help with his candidacy for the imperial throne. After the pledge was not paid, it became the property of the Czech Crown.
Nový Drahov and Doubrava
Do you want to walk around a picturesque village where you will feel like in ancient times? Only 5 km from us is Nový Drahov with village homesteads from the 18th and 19th centuries. Doubrava, a little further away, is also proud of its beautiful folk architecture. Both places are a village monument reserve.
Forest Park Amerika
Forest Park Amerika is located around the pond of the same name and is directly connected to the Františkovy Lázně parks.
The whole area with a maintained network of forest paths and rest areas serves primarily as a place of relaxation for patients and visitors to Františkovy Lázně. There is a beach and a boat rental by the pond, a romantic excursion restaurant was built on the shore in 1898 in the style of Cheb’s half-timbered buildings, and the zoo also enriches the excursion atmosphere.
From the center of Františkovy Lázně you can walk here or take a pleasant micro-train.
A 2 km long nature trail will take you through the fauna and flora of the forest park.
In summer, you can also enjoy boating and swimming.
Hotel Francis Palace
Jezerní 15/2
351 01 Franzensbad
Czech republic
+420 354 479 700
francispalace@francispalace.cz
