Teplá is a town close to the famous Czech spas, Karlovy Vary and Marianske Lazne. It is famous for the medieval Premonstratensian monastery, whose abbots had their share in establishing nearby health resorts.
The city has a history dating back to the 11th century. It was located on the German-Czech border and was an important stop on the trade route to Pilsen. In 1193, the owner of this area, Hroznat, brought the Premonstratensians from Strahov in Prague to Tepla. This is how the history of the monastery began and it soon became one of the most important monastic centers in this part of Bohemia.
The history of the monastery and the village inseparably connected with it was very turbulent. Repeatedly attacked and destroyed as a result of wars after World War II, it ended up in the hands of the army. Only after 1989, it was returned to the monks, who began the painstaking renovation. Today, the monastery buildings regaining their former glory are the greatest attraction of Tepla.
The monastery consists of several parts from different epochs, from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. The oldest part is the Romanesque-Gothic Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In turn, in the baroque interiors of the convent, you can see a wonderful library, dining room and a chapel.
The abbots of the monastery in Tepla, as owners of extensive properties in the area, also contributed to the development of the local spas. Abbot Kryštof Pfrogner and his successor Karl Reitenberger built the first mineral water intakes in Marianske Lazne at the beginning of the 19th century.
