The day Marienbad went world-class
On 24 July 2021 in Fuzhou, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee raised its hand at its 44th session for an inscription West Bohemia had awaited for over a decade: The Great Spa Towns of Europe became World Heritage. Among the eleven towns from seven countries — from Bath in England to Montecatini in Italy — three are Czech: Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně.
In September 2026 the whole region marks the fifth anniversary with a campaign tellingly named "5 let světoví" — five years world-class — and the three-day celebrations open in Mariánské Lázně. Before we get to the programme, it is worth recalling what we are actually celebrating.
Why spa towns, of all things
UNESCO does not inscribe individual buildings; it inscribes values. With the spa towns, that value is a phenomenon Europe gave the world: towns built around springs, where treatment merged with architecture, parks, culture and social life into a single whole — the therapeutic landscape.
Mariánské Lázně is the textbook example: the colonnade and spring pavilions flow into parks, the parks into forest promenades, and the promenades into a landscape that is itself part of the cure. That is why the inscription covers more than the historic centre — what is protected is precisely that continuous landscape in which people have walked, drunk and breathed for two hundred years. We describe it in detail in Why Marienbad is UNESCO and on the UNESCO page.
What has changed in five years
The inscription was not a finishing line but a commitment. Five years on, the town clearly takes it seriously:
- Monument care has accelerated — from the restoration of colonnade structures to sensitive renovations of the spa houses; building and repair here must preserve the value the inscription was granted for
- The town gained climatic spa status (2023) — as if to prove the "therapeutic landscape" is no stage set: the local air has since been an officially recognised healing resource; more on the climate therapy page
- Culture is growing — the country's oldest symphony orchestra is heading for its 205th anniversary with a new chief conductor, and the colonnade lives with concerts from spring to autumn
- The world has noticed — guests now come "for the UNESCO brand" too; three inscribed towns in one region are a magnet with no parallel anywhere
The celebrations, 11–13 September 2026: three days, three towns
The Karlovy Vary Region has prepared a three-day programme for the anniversary — each day in a different one of the three inscribed towns.
Friday 11 September — Mariánské Lázně
The celebrations open right here:
- 9:00–15:00 — the Heritage Forum conference on caring for World Heritage
- 18:00 — launch of the Great Spa Times newspaper
- 19:00–21:00 — the opening celebration
Saturday 12 September — Karlovy Vary
An all-day forum in the UNESCO park, a concert at the Imperial Spa at 6 pm and the VARY°ZÁŘÍ evening programme.
Sunday 13 September — Františkovy Lázně
Landmark tours, youth forum presentations and a lecture on the history of the railway that once linked the spa triangle.
The current, continuously updated programme is on the regional website: kr-karlovarsky.cz/5letsvetovi.
A September like few before it
The anniversary also falls in the weeks when the town offers most: European Heritage Days (7–20 Sept) open buildings normally closed to the public, on 12 September the Chopin House and the Anglican Chapel open their doors, and the same day brings the closing colonnade concert of the season.
In other words: if you have ever wondered when to visit Mariánské Lázně for the first time — the second week of September 2026 is the answer.
Practical information
- Celebration dates: 11–13 September 2026 (Mariánské Lázně opens on Friday 11 Sept)
- Programme: kr-karlovarsky.cz/5letsvetovi
- About the inscription: Mariánské Lázně and UNESCO
- Accommodation: the opening takes place a few steps from our hotels — accommodation overview
