Ferrous Spring

Spring site: Ferrous Spring Colonnade
Location: In the slope above the right bank of the Teplá River in the northern part of Karlovy Vary
Date of first interception: 1852
Temperature: 11.9°C
Yield: 1.8 litres per minute
CO2 content: 1,600 mg per litre
Accessibility: Freely accessible

How to get there

Route 1:        You may reach the Ferrous Spring Colonnade if you walk from the Hot Spring in the spa centre along the Teplá River and the Thermal Hotel. At the end of Nábřeží Jana Palacha (Jan Palach Embankment), you will need to walk up the path leading up the slope to the colonnade. This route, which offers a pleasant walk through the city centre, is approximately 1.5 kilometres long and it will take you about half an hour.

Route 2:        If you decide for the second route, take Bus No. 2 from Divadelní náměstí (Theatre Square) in the spa centre to the "Tržnice" (Market) city bus terminal. From there, you will walk about 350 metres up Varšavská Street, cross the bridge over the Teplá River, and continue up Bezručova Street to the colonnade.

In the past, the local hill slope often changed its colour to ochre due to the sediments with high iron content. The Ferrous Spring was first drawn in 1852 and in 1856, it began to be used for a drinking cure upon the recommendation of Dr. Rudolf Mannl. Eventually, Železité lázně (Ferrous Bath) was built nearby where the water rich in iron was also used for baths.

A new pavilion in the form of a small stone columnar hall was presently built over the spring in 1920s. It was named the Ferrous Spring Colonnade. With a temperature of 11.9˚C at its seep, the Ferrous Spring is the coldest mineral spring of Karlovy Vary and due to its high content or iron and arsenic, it is radically different from the remaining mineral springs. Unfortunately, theFerrous Springstill remains rather neglected by the visitors coming to Karlovy Vary.