The Elizabeth Baths in Karlovy Vary will reopen the pool after reconstruction in September

Karlovy Vary – The reconstruction of the public indoor pool at Alžbětiny Lázně continues in Karlovy Vary. It has been completely drained for the first time in several years. After necessary repairs, it will slowly be filled up again, and it is expected to reopen to the public on September 5, according to Miluše Bartoňková, the director of Alžbětiny Lázně. Most of the repairs are being carried out by the spa staff, and the costs are around half a million crowns.

The pool closed after the International Film Festival in mid-July. The traditional weekly shutdown, during which the water level in the pool was lowered, has therefore been extended to nearly two months due to the complete draining and repairs to the bottom.

"The most significant repair in the pool was the insulation at the bottom. Therefore, it had to be carefully drained gradually, and we cannot rush the refilling; it will take several whole days," the director stated. The service also included pool technology; maintenance staff repaired the ceiling, cleaned the ventilation system, and all surfaces. "In the changing rooms and bathrooms, there are new ceilings and ceramic fittings, new benches in the saunas, and the steam generators have been completely replaced," Bartoňková added.

According to the director, the indoor pool with the children's pool and whirlpool would need a more extensive renovation. Since Alžbětiny Lázně has a significant part of its roof in a state of emergency, the company management decided only on a minimalist and cost-effective renovation option for the pool because larger investments are needed elsewhere. "We had to have the roof repaired in an emergency already; during the heavier rains in July, water was leaking into the building," the director stated.

The spa is now facing a more extensive roof repair costing 11 million crowns. The transfer of funds for repairs from unused money from another municipal company, from the Administration of Natural Healing Resources and Colonnades, was approved by the Karlovy Vary city council in June. All 290 thermal valves in the entire building are to be replaced, and a new transformer station will be installed.

The management of Karlovy Vary considered selling the historic building of the public spa last year. The necessary repairs would cost hundreds of millions, which the city does not have. Investors offered to invest around one billion crowns into the spa, while the Hilton chain wanted to build a hotel next to it. A second interested party, the Karlovy Vary Pupp, wanted to keep it as a spa for the public and local hotels. However, the sale did not go through, and the city decided to retain Alžbětiny Lázně. In the future, there is also a plan for a city information center on the ground floor.

A clinic for the prevention and treatment of civilization diseases is also to be established here. The Karlovy Vary council approved a contribution of 2.2 million crowns for the reconstruction and equipping of the offices. The clinic is expected to be a comprehensive health and educational institution focused on providing services in the fields of obesity, nutritional therapy, physiotherapy, sports medicine, and psychology. According to Bartoňková, the spaces for the offices are already being prepared. In total, the city has spent 15.3 million on all repairs.