The Geomorphology of the Mariánské Lázně Area

Marianske Lazne is situated in a protected landscape in Slavkov Forest.

Slavkov Forest is like a mountainous island of green; calm and still almost unspoiled nature hauntingly dotírajícím sea lifestyle factors Slavkov Forest is, in it's heights bound by three important spa resorts - Karlovy Vary, Marianske Lazne and Frantiskove Lazne and this sets the scene for a natural and historical centre of western bohemian resorts.

This unique landscape is completely within the surrounding geological basin. The whole area is like a wide basin plain with the highest peaks in the forest at 983 m. and at Lysina at 982 m, which is in the somewhat elevated western part.

The central part of Slavkov Forest was once famous for rich tin  deposits. Medieval mining and ore processing fell victim to the most original and bukojedlových beech forests, which have been preserved remnants. The current extensive spruce forest area with its marshes, forms a large natural water reservoir, which influences the water system of a wide area, especially the spa. Characteristic for the southwest part of Slavkov Forest are vast peat moors, which are partly accessible from nature trails to Kladska and Smradoch.

An important phenomenon is the deep valley of the rivers Ohre and Tepla, which form a canyon lined with high cliffs. The best are to be found in the area of the Svatossky Cliffs with it's legend of a petrified wedding procession.

It's not just in the Spas that you can find mineral springs and natural wonders, but also on the path in the deep forest or in the meadows, which spring up like old times (z dutých kmenů) and invite tired wanderers to drink from their bubbling waters.

There are many woodland animals too, European deer, wild boar, roe deer, (kunovité šelmy) and (pěvců) The black grouse survive here, the black stork are known to nest and eagle owls can be found. In winter, if you're lucky, you may find the tracks of a lynx. An interesting feature is the westernmost occurrence of the marmot. The rare and protected flora is the most important endemic serpentine glassworth, willow borůvkovitá, Drosera rotundifolia, Pinguicula general, rare serpentine spleenwort and finally Arnica montana, medicinal plants protected by law, which became the focal point character Slavkov Forest.

The whole area is crisscrossed with a network of well-marked hiking trails that lead visitors to Viv winter attractions as science and landscape, and historic character. Významnými památkami jsou hrad a městská památková rezervace Loket, Bečov, zámek Kynžvart - sídlo knížete Metternicha a premonstrátský klášter v Teplé.

Vegetation and flora

The area has a relatively varied flora, mostly falling into the oreophytic range types. There is a significant occurrence of raised bogs with constructed pinewood on upland plateaus, a unique serpentine community, rock cliff pinewood with Ericaherbacea, fragments of thermophilic rock communities in the Ohře River valley, and more. There is a marked representation of suboceanic elements.

Forests

This was originally an area rich in submontane acidic beechwood and beech-fir (Luzulo-Fagetum, Calamagrostio villosae-Fagetum), nowadays mostly transformed into a spruce plantation. The mountainous elements include the small cow-wheat (Melampyrum sylvaticum), deer fern (Blechnum spicant), and a marked element is the suboceanic pyramidal ajuga (Ajuga pyramidalis).

Geology and geomorphology

The area lies on the converse of the Krušnohorský and Středočeský areas of the crystalline of the Czech Massive. The border, formed by the Litoměřice fracture, is marked by an extended body of amphibolites and other metamorphicized vulcanite (the Mariánské Lázně metabasal complex) and a serpentine belt (Mnichov serpentine).

Fracture tectonics and tertiary volcanic activity are characteristic for the entire area. The Slavkov Forest and Krušnohorsko area form the raised part of the horst, while the Cheb and Sokolovsko lowland and Tachov gully form the low part. The Doupov Mountains are a mass of strato-volcano.

There is a local occurrence of tertiary eruptive rock directly in the Landscape Area (PR Podhorní Hill near Mariánské Lázně, PP Čedič Cliff near Hlinky, PP Olše Gate near Šemnice). Gas effluences are typical of the area as a remnant of tertiary volcanic activity (PP Sirňák, PR Smraďoch, PP Milhostovice mofettes), as are the occurrence of thermal waters (up to 73 °C – Karlovarské Vřídlo), mineral waters, and acidulous waters.

In the flat culminary areas (etchplain) with a maximum altitude of nearly 1000 meters (Lesný – 983 m and Lysina – 982 m), there are significant reservoirs of humolites (the Krásenské peatbog is extracted).

Water bodies

The Teplá River is the main water flow, streaming northeast of Mariánské Lázně (PR Prameniště Teplé).

It first flows towards the southeast, takes a turn northward in the village of Teplá, then gradually forms a deep river valley (PR Údolí Teplé). It empties into the Ohře river in Karlovy Váry where it gathers water from the local hot springs, hence the name (Teplá: warm). In the spring emergence areas, aragonite settles and collects (vřídlovec, hrachovec). One of the main subjects of protection of this Protected Landscape Area is the mineral spring collection area used by the western Bohemian spa centers (Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně, Lázně Kynžvart). The Slavkov Forest CHOPAV is well renowned here.

Part of the deeply cut Ohře River valley between Loket and Karlovy Váry is also part of the Protected Landscape Area (NPP Jan Svatoš – the rock formations in the Loket granite – phonolitic promontory belonging to the southwest edge of the Doupov Mountains).

Climate

The Protected Landscape Area, for the most part, is a mildly warm climate (average annual temperatures between 6.5 and 5°C), while the culminary parts are climatically cooler.

The total average annual precipitation for most of the Slavkov Forest Protected Landscape Area is between 600-800 mm, while the Lysinská Highlands gets over 900 mm of precipitation.