The cleaning of the spa houses in Kyselka also uncovered some technical curiosities

Kyselka (Karlovy Vary Region) - The cleaning of devastated houses in the former spa area in Kyselka in the Karlovy Vary Region revealed some technical peculiarities of the buildings. Under tons of rubble and mud, a drainage shaft was uncovered, which directed water from the slope above Kyselka under the Vilemínka building into the Ohře River, said Miroslav Perout, director of the nonprofit organization Lázně Kyselka, to ČTK.
    "After every rain, a regular stream flows down from the slope. The original builders directed it under the floor through a shaft that leads all the way to the Ohře. However, when the shaft later got clogged, the water flowed directly through the building. In the winter, there were dozens of centimeters of ice here," described Perout.
    According to Perout, the groundwater is the main enemy of the devastated buildings. Over the course of three months, about six people from the non-profit organization Lázně Kyselka have managed to dig through the mud and rubble down to the floors, allowing the buildings to ventilate and dry out again. "Everything is prepared for waste removal. We are also separating the waste to save on dumping fees. We will keep the bricks, and we have an agreement with the landfill that when we need rubble for leveling the terrain, we will reuse it," stated Perout.
    In addition to Vilemínka, which originally served as a bottling plant for the local mineral water, cleaning is also taking place in the neighboring Jindřichov and Švýcarský dvůr. Only the removal of soil and the clearing of overgrowth in the back part of the buildings revealed the original courtyards that are situated between the slope above Kyselka and the buildings. However, part of the walls is collapsed, and it is likely that construction elements added to the building later will also need to be removed.
    Supporting some of the damaged parts of the houses will also allow for the removal of the fence that has covered the front parts of the buildings for a year. "People will finally see what the buildings actually look like. We are also negotiating again about marking the sidewalk. Gradually, we want to restore the atmosphere of the former spa zone," added Perout.