Mariánské Lázně Municipal Museum

1953 

Mariánské Lázně was founded at the beginning of the 19th century. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe also stayed in the museum, which is situated in the first spa building. It contains exhibits describing the rapid development of the spa town and you can also see Goethe’s bedroom; besides this, the museum has an extensive mineralogical collection.

 

Mariánské Lázně was founded at the beginning of the 19th century on the site of a marsh, where people used to cross stepping stones to get to the curative springs. In 1808 it was still virgin forestland, yet a mere thirteen years later J. W. von Goethe was staying there. The museum contains some of Goethe’s personal belongings and numerous natural products, which the poet left there during his last stay, which is most remembered for his infatuation for the young Ulrike von Levetzow. However, von Goethe also experienced other encounters there, which influenced his relationship with Bohemia. For the rest of his life he then corresponded with the Cheb councillor Grüner and with Father Zauper – a scholar and member of the Premonstratensian monastery in Teplá. He discussed naturalist and spiritual topics with them. While in Mariánské Lázně he got to know the founder of the Patriot (later the National) Museum, Count Kaspar von Sternberg. Goethe’s autobiography reads: “The fellows at the Prague Museum, chaired by Count Kaspar von Sternberg, have appointed me as an honourable member and, above all, have linked me with an institution that I have admired since the very beginning and, as a token of my sincere affection for its esteemed founder I have donated many of the fruits of my Bohemian studies of nature.” 

As an interesting historical note, von Goethe’s local estate was kept by the family of the building’s owners until the last owner, Julia Schildbachová (1880–1962), who was a collector of minerals and natural products renowned throughout Europe. As she was German, Schildbachová’s house was confiscated after 1945, although she was able to stay there and later, after the establishment of the Mariánské Lázně Museum in 1953, she gave guided tours and cleaned the building. Part of her confiscated collection forms part of the museum’s mineralogical exhibition.

 

References

Bohatý, M., Velebil, D. Julia Hufnagel-Schildbachová (1880–1962) – nejvýznamnější sběratelka minerálů v Čechách a její sbírka v Národním muzeu v Praze. URL: https://publikace.nm.cz/file/a2ea6d4449279b073ab3a840764aa74a/20335/Journal_NM_2018_Bohaty-Velebil.pdf [26. 1. 2021].

Muzeum Karlovy Vary:. Goethe v západních Čechách. Karlovy Vary 2012.

Švandrlík, R. Johann Josef Nehr a Mariánské Lázně. Mariánské Lázně 2008.

Urzidil, J. Goethe v Čechách. Příbram 2009, 501 s. 

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