Lázně Kynžvart

Lázně Kynžvart (German: Bad Königswart, Königswart) is a spa town in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,400 inhabitants. It is known for the Kynžvart Castle.

Lázně Kynžvart
Town
Church of Saint Margaret in the town centre
Flag Coat of arms
Lázně Kynžvart Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°0′39″N 12°37′29″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Karlovy Vary
District	Cheb
First mentioned	972
Government
• Mayor	Jindřich Zíval
Area
• Total	32.60 km2 (12.59 sq mi)
Elevation	673 m (2,208 ft)
Population  (2025-01-01)[1]
• Total	1,403
• Density	43/km2 (110/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	354 91
Website	www.laznekynzvart.cz

Lázně Kynžvart is famous for its sanatorium, which is designed for children with nonspecific respiratory disorders.

Administrative division

Lázně Kynžvart consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):^[2]

• Lázně Kynžvart (1,377)
• Lazy (16)

Geography

Lázně Kynžvart is located about 19 kilometres (12 mi) southeast of Cheb and 29 kilometres (18 mi) southwest of Karlovy Vary. There are several minor watercourses and several fishponds in the municipal territory. The largest fishponds are Pastevní rybník and Dvouhrázový rybník.

The southwestern part of the municipal territory lies in the Upper Palatine Forest Foothills and the northeastern part lies in the Slavkov Forest. The highest point is at 928 m (3,045 ft) above sea level. Almost the entire territory of Lázně Kynžvart belongs to the Slavkov Forest Protected Landscape Area.

History

The first written mention of Lázně Kynžvart is from 972 as Castelum settlement, when it was donated by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor to bishop Wolfgang of Regensburg. Building of the castle finished in 1287. The castle soon lost its significance, was occupied by a bunch of thieves and in 1348 was burned to the ground by order of the King Charles IV.^[3] In 1398 the castle was built once again.^[4]

In 1370, after various forms of the town's name were used, the name Königswart was established. The Czech name has been used since 1918.^[5]

The Jewish Königswarter family originate in the town.

By World War II, majority of the population were Germans. After they were expelled, the area was resettled by Czechs.

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 3,050 —     1880 3,348 +9.8% 1890 3,136 −6.3% 1900 2,966 −5.4% 1910 2,925 −1.4%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 2,616 −10.6% 1930 2,675 +2.3% 1950 1,513 −43.4% 1961 1,221 −19.3% 1970 1,368 +12.0%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 1,468 +7.3% 1991 1,655 +12.7% 2001 1,620 −2.1% 2011 1,443 −10.9% 2021 1,393 −3.5%
Source: Censuses[6][7]

Spa

The first mention of springs is from 1454.^[8] The spa was founded by the Metternich family, which owned the town's castle.

In 1822, Count Richard Metternich built a spa and six springs around the area. The area shortly became more popular after the spa was built. In 1872, a railway was built, which helped the growth of the spa and the town.^[9]

After 1950, during the whooping cough epidemic, children were treated in the spa. Since then, only children were treated in the spa.^[8] In 2013, treatment was again extended to adult patients.^[9]

Transport

The main railway line Prague–Cheb via Plzeň passes through Lázně Kynžvart.^[10] However, the train station named Lázně Kynžvart is located just outside the municipal territory, in neighbouring Stará Voda.

Sport

The town is home to the handball club Házená Kynžvart, playing in the Czech-Slovak Women Handball International League. It was founded in 1970.

Sights

Kynžvart Castle

The most important monument is the Kynžvart Castle. It was built in the Renaissance style in 1597 and rebuilt at the end of the 17th century. It 1821–1839, it was rebuilt into its current form by the architect Pietro Nobile, in the style of Viennese Neoclassicism.^[11] Today the castle is owned by the state and offers guided tours.^[12] The castle's collections also include the Kynžvart Daguerreotype, which is protected as a national cultural monument.^[13]

The Church of Saint Margaret was originally a Gothic medieval building. It was completely rebuilt in 1870, after it was damaged by a fire.^[14]

A notable architectural monument is the spa house called New York. Originally a two-story house from the second half of the 17th century, it was extended and rebuilt in the late Baroque style in 1770. Today the house is unused.^[15]

Notable people

• Franz Johann Habermann (1706–1783), composer and musician
• Klemens von Metternich (1773–1859), Austrian diplomat and nobleman; owned the castle and stayed there

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic

Lázně Kynžvart is twinned with:^[16]

• Bad Bocklet, Germany