Will the space behind the Karlovy Vary Imperial Baths change its face?

KARLOVY VARY December 16 (ČTK) - New construction sensitively integrated into green spaces can help revitalize the area between the Karlovy Vary Imperial Baths, the Art Gallery, and the former summer cinema. This idea was presented today to city officials and representatives by Lucie Hromková, a student at the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University, as part of a presentation of her study, which she prepared at the city's request.
The city decided to collaborate with university students, specifically the studio led by architect Patrik Kotas, this spring. According to the mayor's deputy, Petr Keřka, the aim was to gain an unbiased and unprejudiced external perspective on potential solutions for the area behind the Imperial Baths. "The architectural-urban study was first presented to us by Lucie Hromková. It will be one of the inspirations for Karlovy Vary on how to approach the area," Keřka stated.
Hromková considers the area's problems to stem from its seeming detachment from the spa part of the city, even though it is a part of it. In her opinion, most people stop at the Imperial Baths and do not continue further. They get the impression that this is where the spa and the city end, she noted. "On the other hand, visitors progress along certain landmarks: from the Thermal Hotel to the Mill Colonnade, further to the Hot Spring Colonnade, the Grandhotel Pupp, and the Imperial Baths. There should also be some landmarks towards the summer cinema," Hromková believes.
On the Goethe Path leading to the Art Gallery, she proposes a kind of improvised colonnade that would encourage people to continue their journey. The area would also benefit from park renovations and the creation of access points to the Teplá River. Her study also indicates that there is a lack of options for refreshments or entertainment. The area would benefit from the establishment of a small central square behind the gallery. "As for the summer cinema, it does not fit here. Instead, a building offering services to the public would be more beneficial," she remarked.
Interventions in the primarily park area with the Imperial Baths are not excluded, according to Zuzana Macešková, director of the Spa Parks Administration. It is an area waiting for development, and it is good that the city has such lands, she stated. "However, it is necessary to maintain a balance between new construction and the landscape so that the transition to the surrounding open nature is not disrupted. We desire to bring much more of a human factor here and create places for entertainment and relaxation not just for visitors but also for local residents," Macešková said.
Hromková's study will be given to the city for a symbolic fee of a few thousand crowns. According to municipal spokesman Jakub Kaválek, it is an inspiring document. What will or will not be realized from it is not yet clear.