Savoy Westend, Historical villa and medical spa hotel in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic.
Savoy Westend is a spa resort in Karlovy Vary composed of five art nouveau villas linked by underground passages. The complex houses medical facilities, a swimming pool, parking areas, and multiple treatment rooms for guests.
Built in 1896–1897 by builder Josef Waldert to a design by Viennese architect Alfred Bayer, the villa opened as the Savoy-Westend-Hotel, named after the Savoy dynasty of unified Italy. Waldert and his wife Barbara owned it until 1914. In World War II it served as a military hospital for German soldiers; after the war it was nationalized and renamed Thomayer, managed by Eduard Slovák. In 1957 it passed to the Czechoslovak State Spas, with Villa Kleopatra as its dependency.
The villa is named after the House of Savoy of unified Italy, and its architecture draws on Gothic-Renaissance French noble residences, with corner turrets, a battlemented octagonal tower and a viewing terrace. A wooden veranda was added to the north facade between 1897 and 1903 under Florian Neuburger of Karlovy Vary.
The facility is well-equipped for extended stays with a large swimming pool and ample parking, some with charging stations for electric vehicles. It is advisable to book in advance, as the resort is popular and can fill up quickly, especially during peak season.
In June 1902 the Persian shah Mozaffar ad-Din deposited three million francs at the Karlovy Vary credit bank while staying as a guest, and spent under a million. He ordered suits from tailor Felix Zawojský on the marketplace, bought Karlovy Vary rifles and vřídlovec stone souvenirs, and gave to the hospital and the poor.
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