Author: Li Tongcheng Source: "Diplomats Say Things"
About the Author
Li Tongcheng served as First Secretary of the Chinese Embassies in the Czech Republic and the Soviet Union, Political Counsellor of the Chinese Embassies in Lebanon and Liberia, Editor of the Editorial Office of Diplomatic History of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Executive Vice President of the Diplomatic PEN Club of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Karlovivari
Karlovivali is located in the Czech region of Tessi, 120 km from Prague on the Tepra River. The city is blessed with more than a dozen hot springs and temperatures of up to 72 degrees Celsius. From 2,000 to 3,000 meters underground, the water rises upwards to a height of 15 meters, and the water vapor rises like a rainbow in the sunlight. I came here in the peak tourist season, the flow of people, walkers, standers, tourists holding local special deer-shaped small pots, drinking spring water while walking. The water is said to be curative for digestive disorders.
There is a beautiful green hill in the east of the city, called "Love Mountain", there is a park on the mountain, named "Love Park", many people come to visit, this park has become a place where lovers meet, only to see a pair of lovers, or in the green lawn, or in the fragrant flowers, snuggling up to each other, whispering, enjoying the sweetness of love in the world.
On a mountain peak near Love Mountain, there is a bronze statue of a fawn, which looks up and is dazzling, lively and lovely, like a warrior guarding the city, which is the symbol of the city. It is said that when Emperor Charles IV was hunting, he chased a fawn, and the fawn fell into the water, and the water temperature rose and turned into a hot spring. And so the city was born.
Karlovyvary is famous for its hot springs, also known as the "Hot Spring City", and is a famous health resort in Europe. On the banks of the Tepra River, between the mountains and mountains, sanatoriums of different colors have been built, and from a distance, they are gorgeous and colorful, like a goddess scattering flowers. Many literati and political celebrities from all over the world have recuperated here. Marx loved the city so much that he recuperated here three times.
The first time was on August 19, 1874. At that time, Marx was writing Capital in London, but his health deteriorated due to illness and fatigue, and he and his daughter Dousy came here to recuperate under the advice of doctors. Father and daughter, under the care of Kugelmann, a member of the First International, lived in the "Germanic Hotel", now renamed the "Karl Marx Sanatorium". During his recuperation, Marx was introduced to the Prague merchant Obengen through Kugelmann. At the beginning of the following year, when Marx recovered his health, he came to Prague and stayed in the merchant's house. Obengen was a man of insight who informed Marx about the economic crisis in the Czech Republic at that time, and Marx wrote a number of articles based on these circumstances, which were also very helpful in writing Capital.
The second time was in mid-August 1875. This time was very short, Marx went alone, when the Czech Republic was under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and attention had been drawn to Marxism, and the local authorities in Karlovyvary wrote the following report to the Austro-Hungarian Governor of Prague:
Karl Marx, a doctor of philosophy from England and a well-known leader of the Social Democratic Party, is recuperating here. He had been recuperating here last year and had not found any wrongdoing, but this time Marx came here to show himself in peace, and so far he had no contact with other convalescents, and often walked alone and outdoors..."
Marx left Karlovyvary for Prague, where he stayed at the Obengen house for a few days before leaving. The house where Marx lived still has a commemorative plaque that reads "Marx lived here".
The third time was in 1876, and his name can be seen from the files of the people who treated him here that year. This was the last time Marx came to this spa city to recuperate, and he never came again, why is that? In 1877, Marx's daughter, Doussy, explained it as follows in a letter to Liebknecht:
"We were told that the German and Austrian governments intended to expel him. As a result, he could no longer go to Karlovivali to recuperate. It's a shame because every time he recuperates there, he feels like he's been reborn again. ”
In 1974, the Czech authorities established a memorial hall to commemorate Marx in the spa city. The museum is located in a columned hall known as the "House of the Golden Keys", which displays photographs, handwritings and some commemorative objects of Marx's visit.
Other people who came here to recuperate were Peter the Great, the poet Schiller, Goethe, the writer Gogol and others. In 1956, Marshal Zhu De visited Czech Republic and also rested here for a few days.
Karlovivali is also an international film city, where the world's best films have been selected many times. Famous mainland film actors Zhao Dan, Bai Yang, Wang Danfeng, Zhang Ruifang, etc. have all visited here, and the film "Nie Er" starring Zhao Dan won the award here.
Karlovyvary is also a Czech base for glass manufacturing. The glass industry is the most important traditional industry in the Czech Republic and enjoys a good reputation in the world. Some Western countries call Czech glass the most beautiful work of art. During the reign of Charles IV in the Middle Ages, the church architecture was becoming more and more developed, and the glass experts of the time used glazed glass to decorate the doors and windows of the church into colorful patterns, making the church shine. Later, after years of research, glass sculptor Gaspar Lechmann made crystal glass, and this new product soon became popular in Europe and the United States.
In 1727, the Princess of Brussels took the lead in purchasing crystal chandeliers from the Czech Republic to decorate the palace, and then installed Czech crystal chandeliers in the imperial palaces of Russia, France, Turkey, Vienna and many other countries, as well as the Royal Theaters in Rome, Milan and Brussels. Since then, Czech glass products have become famous all over the world, and 38 distribution offices have been established in Europe, and later expanded to various regions of the Americas and North Africa, gradually occupying the world market.
Czech glass art
Karlovyvari is worthy of being the base of the glass industry, and many shops are filled with dazzling glass products, from huge boron-free crystal chandeliers to exquisite handicrafts.
[Source: "The Seventh Continent: A Diplomat's World Chronicle"
Author: Li Tongcheng
Editor: "The Diplomat Says Things" Qingyan]