Eleven European resort cities, including Karlovy Vary, Marianske Lazne, and Frantiskovy Lazne, have been awarded the title of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This decision was made by the Intergovernmental Committee for World Heritage at its 44th session in Fuzhou, China.

The Famous Resorts of Europe

A joint application for the inclusion of the famous European resort cities as UNESCO World Heritage Sites was prepared by seven countries, with the Czech Republic acting as the sponsor and coordinator of the project. The international project is a remarkable demonstration of the phenomenon of the European resort industry, which flourished mainly during the 18th to early 20th centuries. The resort industry of that time brought not only numerous innovative ideas in the field of balneology and medicine but also significantly influenced urban planning, with the resort cities themselves being noteworthy. People from all over the world met in these cities, which had a huge impact on the democratization of European society. Their exceptional architecture with colonnades and promenades, villas, parks, and gardens, as well as hundreds of mineral springs, played a role in their cultural heritage and philosophical content. The life paths of famous personalities, the emergence of travel as a new way of leisure, cultural heritage, and philosophical content all unite the eleven most beautiful resort cities in Europe.

In addition to the West Bohemian spa triangle, eight other resort cities are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, including Baden-Baden, Bad Ems, and Bad Kissingen in Germany, Spa in Belgium, Vichy in France, Montecatini Terme in Italy, Baden near Vienna in Austria, and the city of Bath in England. Together, these 11 resort cities form a single entry in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Thus, the number of objects included in the UNESCO list has increased to 15.