<Karlovarské Vřídlo> will remain partially inaccessible even after the outage

"We must come up with a way to ensure a new spring for Vřídlo before the start of the spa season, or improve the existing one so that people do not have the restrictions they currently have. That's the basis for why people come to us," Bruštík stated.

The entire Vřídlo colonnade, built in the 1970s, is already on the verge of its lifespan. The technical condition of the facilities under the Vřídlo spring is so serious that at the turn of the year, access to the hall housing the Vřídlo had to be restricted.

According to structural engineer Petr Hampl, the current condition of some structures is irreparable. "It is in a worse condition than it was in 1998. Once again, the condition is emergency, but this time irreparable in the same way we did in 1999 and 2000. It cannot be salvaged anymore. Back then, the structure was capable of being salvaged, but today it is not," Hampl stated.

The biggest problem, according to him, is the effect of carbon dioxide on the concrete structures. It seems that the effects of the gas were underestimated during construction, leading to the degradation of the structures. Consequently, the metal structures were also compromised.

The problem lies in the floor of the hall with the Vřídlo, which today must be propped up by 39 wooden supports. However, the metal columns holding the glass structure above the Vřídlo stand precisely on this unstable floor. If it were to move by just a few millimeters, the glass panels above the Vřídlo could become dislodged.

The city is now considering diverting the spring away from the colonnade and allowing it to spring freely. Technically, this would not be difficult as the healing water is already supplied to the current spring via pipes. This way, at least a symbolic fountain would remain until the repair or construction of a new colonnade is resolved.

However, there is no consensus among the city's residents or the city's leadership on whether the Vřídlo colonnade should be repaired, replaced with a replica of the colonnade by architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer, or built anew in a modern style. According to Bruštík, the reconstruction of the colonnade might cost more than building a new one.

One of the symbols of the spa town is thus in jeopardy. The city originally wanted to relocate at least the technical facilities outside the colonnade, to the theater square, but the results of geological drilling did not recommend such a solution. Therefore, a new location must be sought.