Alžbětiny spa will start reconstruction for 60 million, the first to be addressed will be the windows

Karlovy Vary – The Elizabeth Spa in Karlovy Vary is set to begin renovations this year. The first to be tackled are the windows, which will be replaced throughout the building. Following that, the framework and roof will also be addressed. In total, these significant investments are expected to amount to more than 60 million CZK. However, they should not significantly limit the operation of the only city spa in Karlovy Vary, said Václav Benedikt, chairman of the Elizabeth Spa board and city councilor, to ČTK.

"The first major renovation we are about to undertake is the window replacement. It is a project based on the energy-saving concept for the building because that is the largest cost that drives up our operating expenses. The building is in the condition of a practically 120-year-old structure. As part of the energy-saving measures, we plan to replace all windows, which amounts to 403 windows on the façade and 102 windows on the roof. The exterior of the building is mainly composed of glass surfaces," described Benedikt.

For the window replacement project, the Elizabeth Spa will receive an 8 million CZK grant from the Ministry of Industry and Trade. This is approximately 30 percent of the total estimated cost of 26 million CZK for the window replacement.

At the same time, the spa is finalizing the project for the complete renovation of the framework and roofing. The documentation for the building permit is already completed, and by the turn of January and February, the Elizabeth Spa should also have an implementation project with a budget. The estimated costs are currently around 40 million CZK. However, the spa has not yet found a suitable grant program to assist with the financing of the roof restoration.

The Elizabeth Spa in Smetanovy sady is the largest balneotherapy facility in Karlovy Vary, offering around 60 types of spa treatments that use spring water and peat. The spa is also the largest consumer of spring water in the city. However, the actual building, dating back to 1906, is currently in poor condition. In addition to high energy costs for the operation of the Elizabeth Spa, it has also been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and a near-total loss of foreign clients. Even though the spa is fully operational, it now has to rely solely on clients from health insurance companies or self-paying customers from the Czech Republic. For this reason, the city must subsidize the spa's operations by many millions of CZK annually.