Ambrose Spring (Ambrožův pramen)
Iron-rich acidulous water
An iron-rich spring known, after a legend about Goethe and Ulrike von Levetzow, as the “spring of love” — once recommended for anaemia and traditionally for urinary complaints. You will find it in the spa park below Goethe Square.
At a glance
Where it rises
Parks & town
Type
Drinking spring
Classification
plain ferrous acidulous waters, cold, hypotonic, slightly to medium mineralised
Compare the composition of all springsTraditionally used for
The three outlets of the Ambrose Spring are found in the park below the colonnade, near the Central Baths. Its elevated iron content earned it a reputation against anaemia. A legend is attached to it, too: Goethe, who took the cure in Marienbad in 1821–1823, met his last great love here, the young Ulrike von Levetzow — and tradition has it that he drank from the Ambrose Spring regularly at the time. That is why it is called the “spring of love”, and anyone who wants to fall in love in Marienbad goes to drink from it.
A little history
Named after Jeroným Ambrož, abbot of Teplá, the spring was described by A. J. Scrinci as early as 1760 as water for everyday drinking. In 1826 a neo-Gothic pavilion replaced the original wooden gazebo. When the iron content for which the spring was drunk fell sharply in 1925, the whole capture was rebuilt the following year: three groups of outlets were captured at a depth of 7 m, and they still flow into three vases today. Their composition differs very little.
Source: Mineral springs in Mariánské Lázně for the drinking cure (Bartoš, Nečasová, Knára, 2018).
How the drinking cure works
The water is sipped slowly, usually before meals — traditionally from a spouted spa cup that guides it past the front teeth. Which spring, how much and how often is set by your spa physician, because every water acts differently. This page informs; it is no substitute for medical advice.
