Myslivna, Former forest café, restaurant and hotel in the spa forests of Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic

Myslivna is a villa-style forest café, restaurant and hotel on Sovova stezka in the spa forests of Karlovy Vary, built in 1894 to plans by Alfred Bayer. Its white plastered lower facade with arched window moldings and balconies carries a half-timbered upper section framed in dark red timber, with a steep dark roof. A corner tower with a green bell-shaped dome and lantern rises on the left, and a smaller tower with a similar green cupola stands on the right.

The building was constructed in 1894 as part of Karlovy Vary's development into a leading European spa destination. Its creation coincided with a period of rapid expansion when the city attracted wealthy visitors from across Europe.

The name Myslivna means hunting lodge, but the place was a forest café, restaurant and hotel called Jägerhaus. A marble tabletop marked where Empress Elisabeth of Austria, known as Sissi, sat in summer 1892; she came from Villa Tereza for roast half chicken wrapped in bacon.

Myslivna stands in the spa forests at Sovova stezka 470/1, reached on foot along the wooded walking path above the town centre, not from the main square. The building is now registered as a residence and closed to the public, so the exterior is what visitors see. Look for the corner tower with its green bell-shaped dome and the "JAGERHAUS" sign.

The marble tabletop at the forest restaurant carried an inscription that Empress Elisabeth, known as Sissi, had sat there. She stayed in Karlovy Vary in summer 1892 and walked from Villa Tereza on Zámecký vrch to Jägerhaus for a local speciality: half a roast chicken wrapped in bacon.