Before the Vřídlo Colonnade in Karlovy Vary, there is to be a new drinking fountain that will gradually grow

Karlovy Vary – In front of the Vřídlo Colonnade in Karlovy Vary, a new drinking fountain is set to be erected, which will gradually grow as mineral deposits accumulate on it. The design by Oldřich Morys was recommended as the winning proposal by a professional committee in an architectural and sculptural competition for the drinking stand in front of the Vřídlo Colonnade. The object, named Krasavec, succeeded in the competition out of 25 evaluated proposals, said Karlovy Vary councilor Petr Bursík (ODS) to reporters today.

The name refers to karst phenomena, where limestone is transformed into soluble calcium bicarbonate by the action of water and carbon dioxide, which then changes back into calcium carbonate once exposed to air. In Karlovy Vary, this transformation results in the mineral known as vřídlovec, which is aragonite enriched with iron components.

Morys aims to utilize the rapid deposition of this sediment in the creation of the artifact that will adorn the area in front of the entrance to the Vřídlo Colonnade. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that the result will never have a final form, allowing visitors to the city to observe how the growing mass of vřídlovec changes over time.

"The Krasavec is based on the principle of sediment deposition in thermal water. A stainless steel structure will be created from which thermal water will flow, and as it deposits, the final object will gradually change, ultimately reaching a height of around four meters," said Bursík.

According to Bursík, the next step should be to work on the technical documentation, which will detail how to create the fountain to function according to the designer's intentions. Then, the city will seek funding options. The fountain is estimated to cost over two million crowns.

The new fountain is to be placed roughly where the statue of Yuri Gagarin once stood, after whom the colonnade, built in the 1970s, was initially named. The statue of the Soviet cosmonaut ended up at Karlovy Vary airport in the early 1990s. Until recently, there was also a temporary geyser of the Vřídlo in front of the colonnade while its mineral hall was being renovated. A multi-ton concrete plate, into which thermal water flowed, is now in the city's depository and is looking for a purpose. Its use as a symbol of the spa town upon arrival from Prague was rejected by the traffic police.