Mariánské Lázně Through the Eyes of the King Edward VII

Edward VII. – King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and the British Dominions and Emperor of India Albert Edward von Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha was born on 9. 11. 1841 in London as the oldest son of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert von Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha. In the same year, he clinched the title Prince of Wales. As the Prince of Wales, he had to submit to a strict code and education of aristocratic ethics. Study trip around the Europe should provide him with education – he learned German literature in Berlin, he visited historical monuments in Rome. He learned every day several texts in foreign languages by heart.

On 10. 3. 1863 he married Alexandra, Princess of Denmark. They had five children. After his mother's death, 59 years old Albert Edward became the King of the United Kingdom and he received the name Edward VII. After his coronation on 26. 6. 1902, he began to assert a policy of conciliation at home and abroad. In political circles, he was very popular for his diplomatic charm. He has been called “Uncle of Europe”. Edward VII. died 6. 5. 1910.

Edward VII. loved traveling. He represented the British monarchy and conducted political negotiations on his travels. He realized these trips for health reasons too. In Austria-Hungary he visited mainly two spa resorts – Bad Ischl and Mariánské Lázně (Marienbad).

English monarch visited Mariánské Lázně for the first time in 1897. Then the Prince of Wales liked travelling incognito, therefore he was accommodated as Duke of Lancaster. However, his real identity was soon widely known.
During the first visit, he took to Mariánské Lázně so much that he came back eight times here.

Edward VII. regarded Mariánské Lázně as the most beautiful place in the world and one day he said: ”I have travelled through the whole India, Ceylon, all spa towns in Europe, but nowhere in the world, I wasn´t caught by the poetry of beautiful nature like here in Mariánské Lázně.”

During his first visit to Mariánské Lázně in 1897, Edward VII. stayed in the hotel Klinger. During his later stays in 1899 and in 1903 – 1909, he was accommodated in a luxury hotel Weimar with a beautiful view of the whole spa centre. The king always arrived in August and spent there 3-4 weeks. The royal escort had been minimum, consists of an adjutant, a secretary, Swiss Reisemarschall (travel Marshal), a chamberlain, two detectives and two chauffeurs. The hotel staff provided all services in hotel rooms and at the royal table.

The position of the hotel Weimar significantly dominates the panorama of Mariánské Lázně. The view from its windows and balconies offers a view of the spa center and the main promenade.

The hotel Weimar was built in 1821 by Count Klebelberg, from the beginning of its existence it belonged to the most luxurious buildings in the town. Among its first guests, for example, the famous poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe could be found.

At the beginning of 20th century, the house was modernized and rebuilt according to plans of the Viennese architect Arnold Heymann into a monumental palace with meeting facilities, restaurant, reading room, smoking room, modern bathrooms decorated in Art Nouveau and with wonderful garden and tennis courts. The hotel was also fully electrified and provided with a lift. King Edward VII. stayed in a luxury apartment with a large balcony on the first floor of the hotel.

Edward VII. was a chain smoker, he indulged a good meal and he generally enjoyed life in all its beautiful sides. All this resulted in the fact that the king suffered from considerable overweight and consequently from other health problems. The treatment of obesity belonged in the 19th century to the major indications in Mariánské Lázně. Prof. Dr. Adolf Ott, provincial prince's doctor and professor at Prague University, became the king's personal doctor at the time of Edward's medical visits. After 1900, his son, Dr. Ernst Ott, took care of the English king. Royal's personal doctor accompanied the king during his travels all over the world, but to Mariánské Lázně the king arrived without his medical advisor and so the doctors from the family Ott had not only a great honor but also a great responsibility – take care of the health of the King of England. Edward VII. valued the services of the doctor Otto so much, that the doctor could repeatedly stayed as a guest of the king at Windsor or Buckingham Palace or on the royal yacht Victoria and Albert.

When Edward as the Prince of Wels arrived in 1899 for the second time to Mariánské Lázně, his body weight was significantly higher than in 1909, when he was here last time. According to the memories of Ernst Ott the king was overweight and he breathed with shortness of breath. He was quite heavy-footed and ungainly in his move, he overcame very difficult the ascent from the Colonnade to the hotel Weimar. Already at that time, a numerous blood congestions and the tendency to clogging of vascular system were noticeable. King weighed 115 kilograms. In 20 days of the spa treatments, he lost 6 kilos.

King´s day in the spa


The king waked up, like most of guests, very early. First drink of the water from the Cross Spring he drank in the hotel and the other one at the spring. After drinking, he went for a bath to the Royal Cabin in the bathhouse New Spa. According to a medical prescription, he followed a diet. Two menus were served him every day and the king chose one of them. His favorite speciality was trout from Balaton. Woodcock and vegetables appeared on the menu. Peaches predominated from the fruit. Edward spent the stay at the spa Edward also by pleasant social obligations. His favorite activities were the visiting theater performances, walks and rides to the surroundings or hunting.

“Edward gave to Mariánské Lázně a royal level.”

When Edward VII. began go for treatment to Mariánské Lázně, many people longed to stay there as well. They wanted to see the place, which the king chose for his rest, although he could stay in any other place in the world. Mariánské Lázně appeared on pages of the world press. The whole world was watching the steps of the king in the spa. The readers were interested in the king´s program, his breakfast and his entertainment. In Mariánské Lázně the king caused a great stir too. People wanted to see the king, when he was drinking mineral water, during a walk on the promenade, during a cricket play or hunt. In 1903, the Municipal council of Mariánské Lázně gave the audience leaves with a request, that the king was not bothered at the Colonnade.

On the other hand, the Municipal council had also try to create the atmosphere of respectful and modern spa. Hoteliers were motivated to modernize and rebuild their hotels by king´s visits. The town strenuously improved a walking paths and parks.

The King and lovely Mizzi


Throughout the king's visits but also later, it was whispered about the relationship between the king Edward and the milliner Mizzi Pistl. Literature avoids their relationship or it expresses the relationship only in signs. More is left to everyon's own imagination, how it was actually been between him and her.
Miss Mizzi Pistl sold fashionable hats in the millinery shop on the Old, so-called, Morning Colonnade (Morgenkolonnade). The king sometimes bought a hat from her, but the Miss had to bring the goods personally to his suite at the hotel Weimar. Miss Pistl, also as the king Edward, has been portrayed. Later, both paintings in gold frames were hanging in the hotel Weimar.

On 21st August 1905, in the presence of His Majesty the King of England Edward VII. and after long preparations the nine-hole golf course in Mariánské Lázně was opened. In September of the same year, a local golf club was officially established. Among its members were, besides the king Edward, other members of the English and Austrian aristocracy, town councilors, doctors and bankers. The clubhouse was decorated by a large framed photograph of the English King in a sports suit made by photographer J. F. Langhanse. The golf course in Mariánské Lázně was claimed to be the most beautiful course on the continent. In 2003, the course in Mariánské Lázně gained as the only one course in the Czech Republic the right to use the title Royal Golf Club.

Edward VII. used his stay in Mariánské Lázně also to political actions. He met there, for example, with French Prime Minister Clemenceau, Russian Foreign Minister Izvolsky or Bulgarian prince, later king, Ferdinand. During the king's stays in Mariánské Lázně, there has been a significant event, which entered to the history of the small spa as “The meeting of monarchs”. On 16. 8. 1904 a friendly meeting of the King Edward VII. and the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I took place there. The town prepared magnificent decorations on this occasion - the whole Main street from the main railway station was richly decorated with flowers and garlands and in front of the Villa Luginsland, where the Emperor was staying, a massive pavilion with four-meter imitation of the imperial crown by architect Arnold Heymann from Vienna was built. The meeting was accompanied by massive celebrations. The Emperor was dressed in the uniform of an Austrian marshal and the King in a uniform of English Navy made a tour through the town. The tour was ended by a gala dinner at the hotel Weimar.