History of the Property

First built in 1818 as ‘Russisches Haus’, which was its title until the late 19th Century, when the current ‘Mánes’ was born in its current guise. The building, along with all of the buildings that adorn the top of the colonnade, were always intended to form the bright lights of Mariánské Lázně (or Marienbad as it was known in it’s glory throughout Europe) and, serving as spa accommodation rather than a private residence, it catered to seasonal guests wanting to take the waters of the famous city. Having undergone a few modifications along the way, it served as a private residence for some of the city’s most illustious occuppants. Once the renown of the city and the powers of its healing waters spread amongst the European nobility, the owners decided to expand the building and make it able to accommodate the many seasonal visitors that were suddenly flocking to the city. With its enviable view overlooking the leafy city below, it profited from the wisdom of its founders making it a preferred destination for many of the town’s distinguished seasonal visitors, which included such political and artistic giants as Edward VII, Tsar Nicholas II, Franz Josef I, Johann Goethe (whose commemorative statue stands only a minute’s walk away), Gustav Mahler, Thomas Edison, Friedrich Nietzsche, Mark Twain, Rudyard Kipling, Pierre de Coubertin, among other illustrious names of the 19th and 20th Centuries.

The house has undergone a few cosmetic modifications through its history, as can be seen in the images below, and the present façade will be in keeping with that of the late-Nineteenth Century incarnation. The interior has largely been redesigned to form a more classical atrium shape, which a hotel to an apartment structure, reflects the austerity and nobility of its outer shell, though you can learn more about these changes here, or directly on the pages of each room (left panel).