On the top of the Vřídelní colonnade in K. Vary, a glass octagon is returning

Karlovy Vary - Experts have started to install a copy of the original glass sculpture at the top of the Karlovy Vary Hot Spring Colonnade. Several hundred glass pieces that will together form an octagon will replace the original glass from the 1970s, which was already in poor condition and at risk of breaking. The entire colonnade is preparing for its reopening after a reconstruction that cost tens of millions of crowns. The spring’s eruption is expected to return to the renovated hot spring hall on May 5, said the deputy mayor of the spa town, Petr Bursík (ODS), to reporters today.

The glass was produced by the same glassworks as the original. "It is being made in Nový Bor, where the original glass was produced. It was done by scanning the entire octagon in 3D using a drone, and each dimension was measured separately so that each piece of glass has its own size and number," Bursík stated.

According to Jaroslav Rejzek, who is responsible for the restoration of the glass octagon at the top of the colonnade, the installation is exceptional in that it is not about constructing a new object, but replicating a 40-year-old one. The challenge, according to him, was mainly that each piece of glass had to be documented and deformations had to be projected according to the original pattern. The replica, he said, is identical to the original by 85 to 90 percent.

According to Bursík, the pavements are being finished, and work is ongoing to stone the concrete blocks around the hot spring. The number of drinking fountains will change from the original five to three, which will have a new base and the original glass superstructure. Unlike the previous state where each fountain had spring water at a different temperature, all fountains will have the same temperature as the hot spring itself, that is, 72 degrees Celsius. Artificial cooling, according to experts, alters the quality of the mineral water.

The current second phase of repairs to the Hot Spring Colonnade is set to cost 26.5 million crowns, with the main goal of returning the colonnade to its original appearance. However, it was necessary to carry out emergency construction work on the deteriorated parts of the colonnade for 22 million crowns and to replace the technology that manages the collection of hot spring water for 24 million crowns.