Rudolph Spring (Rudolfův pramen)
Calcium- and magnesium-rich acidulous water
Marienbad’s classic “kidney spring”: its high calcium content makes it the traditional choice for kidney and urinary tract disorders, and as support for osteoporosis. The spring rises in Úšovice; you can taste it conveniently at the colonnade pavilion.
At a glance
Where it rises
By the colonnade
Type
Drinking spring
Classification
bicarbonate calcium-magnesium ferrous acidulous water, cold, hypotonic, strongly mineralised
Compare the composition of all springsTraditionally used for
It is named after Crown Prince Rudolph. Its water contains plenty of calcium and magnesium, roughly in a 2 : 1 ratio, and little sodium — according to the 2017 analysis, 266 mg of calcium, 133 mg of magnesium and about 86 mg of sodium per litre. It is traditionally drunk for kidney and urinary tract disorders and often forms part of drinking cures for osteoporosis; whether it belongs in your treatment plan is decided by the spa physician. You can taste it all year round in the Cross Spring pavilion by the colonnade, and in season also at the Rudolph Spring pavilion in Úšovice and at the Small colonnade.
A little history
The so-called Meadow Spring once rose here on the meadows of the Úšovice farmers and was first analysed in 1820. The farmers, however, would not sell their land, and the Teplá monastery acquired the neighbouring plot only in 1865. In the summer of 1867 the newly captured spring was named “Kronprinz-Rudolfsquelle” — Crown Prince Rudolph Spring — and a glazed gazebo was built above it. The capture was deepened in 1902 and 1937; the water bottled today comes from the nearby boreholes BJ-36 and BJ-37.
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.
