We cordially invite you to explore our new exhibition Rendezvouz at the Fountain and to browse this website. The exhibition will take place around the Maxim Gorky Colonnade in Mariánské Lázně from September 2024 to April 2025, during the reconstruction of the popular Singing Fountain. Here you will find information not only about this landmark, but also about the West Bohemian Symphony Orchestra, the activities of the Fryderyk Chopin Society and the local primary art school. Please do not disturb the music.

Ing. arch. Zuzana Stejskalová
Mariánské Lázně World Heritage Site Manager

Rendezvouz at the fountain

The exhibition commemorates the creative stays and possible meetings of 11 important composers in the famous spa towns of Europe. These cities, which were at the height of their fame from the mid-18th century until the 1930s, played a key role in European cultural and social life. Some of the works presented here were created in these spa towns, which today form part of a unique UNESCO World Heritage Site called “Great Spa Towns of Europe.” From 2021 onwards, the monument includes a total of 11 towns in seven European countries. The exhibition celebrates not only their historical significance and highlights the lasting inspiration these cities provide.

As part of the exhibition at the Rendezvous at the Fountain, you can also encounter three imaginary portraits of composers created by artificial intelligence. The answer to the question of who is hidden in these images can be found here.

Frédéric Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist acclaimed for his expressiveness, technical innovation, and poetic genius. His compositions, which included nocturnes, preludes, mazurkas, and études, expanded the expressive scope of the piano as an instrument. He often employed rubato (free variation of tempo and expression), delicate nuances, and complex harmonies. Chopin’s music often reflects his Polish roots, integrating ethnic elements into his compositions. Chopin’s time in Bohemia inspired several important Czech poets and authors (including Kamil Bednář, Jiří Karen, Josef Pávek, and Vladislav Mareš) to create works of poetry and novellas; Karla Erbová found inspiration for her poetry in correspondence between Chopin and George Sand.

A renowned German composer known for his symphonic poems and operas, Richard Strauss masterfully blended late Romantic music with innovative harmonies and orchestral techniques. Strauss was celebrated not only for his operas but also for his songs, and his work helped steer the classical vocal and instrumental music of the 1810s to early 1900s towards the modern period. Outside of his prolific musical career, Strauss was an avid hiker and often composed melodies while walking in the mountains.

Richard Wagner was an influential German composer, playwright, poet, author, theater director, and conductor. A prominent exponent of Romantic music, Wagner revolutionized the concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk (“total artwork”), which synthesized music, poetry, drama, and visual arts into a cohesive whole. Wagner’s use of repeating musical themes associated with certain characters also had a major impact on film music. His innovations in harmony, orchestration, and dramatic structure have had a permanent influence on Western music.

German composer and piano virtuoso Ludwig van Beethoven wrote masterpieces such as Symphony No. 9, “Für Elise,” and “Moonlight Sonata.” His emotional and expressive approach was innovative, bridging the transition from the calmer Classical Period (1750–1820) to Romantic music. Despite his increasing deafness, he continued to compose, creating complex structures and expanding the possibilities of harmony. Beethoven visited the Czech lands several times during his lifetime and had several friends and benefactors in the Bohemian aristocracy.

One of the most important female musicians of the 19th century, Clara Schumann enjoyed early fame as a child prodigy, staging public performances at the age of nine and advancing to become one of the leading pianists of her time. She earned renown for performing works by contemporary composers such as Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms at her concerts. Her compositions blend technical brilliance with emotional depth. Song of Love starring Katharine Hepburn was based on the German composer’s life.

Celebrated for his symphonies, operas, and ballets, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is considered one of the greatest composers of the Romantic period. The Russian composer was able to infuse his music with deep emotion, and his orchestral work is vibrant and diverse. Tchaikovsky was inspired by Russian folk melodies, forging a bridge between Russian and Western musical traditions. He is most well-known for his ballets, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. The librettos for his two most famous operas[WA1]  were adapted from poems by Alexander Pushkin. His ballet The Nutcracker is also widely popular.

German composer, conductor, and pianist Johannes Brahms strove to synthesize older compositional forms from the Classical and Romantic periods. Considered the successor of Ludwig van Beethoven, Brahms earned renown for his symphonic and chamber music, songs, and choral works. He was a generous and kind person who selflessly helped young, talented musicians; he maintained a friendship with Antonín Dvořák and significantly contributed to ensuring that his work was heard in Europe. Philosophically, Brahms was a humanist and political liberal; his relationship to religion was lukewarm at best, and out of politeness he usually called himself an agnostic.

Czech composer Antonín Dvořák is considered one of the greatest composers to emerge from his country. His symphonies and concertos are staples in the repertoires of major orchestras around the world. He is known not only for his symphonies, instrumental concertos, and grand choral works, but also his chamber music and operas. Together with Bedřich Smetana, he was a pioneer of modern Czech music at the height of the Romantic period. A deeply religious man, Dvořák was kind and amiable. His hobbies, besides music, included railroads and pigeon keeping.

An Austrian-Hungarian piano virtuoso and composer, Franz Liszt was one of the most celebrated pianists of his time and one of the most prolific composers of the 19th century, writing nearly 350 of his own compositions and more than 200 transcriptions. He also was the author or co-author of eight volumes of prose. In his youth, Liszt composed mostly for the piano, but after 1848 he shifted his focus to orchestral music, and in his later years, to spiritual works. Liszt was also known for his numerous love affairs. However, in 1861 he retreated to solitude in Rome. While there, he received four minor orders in 1865 (but he did not take a vow of celibacy) and he became a member of the Third Order of Saint Francis.

Pauline Viardot was a French mezzo-soprano opera singer, teacher, and composer of Spanish descent. She took piano lessons from the young Franz Liszt. She spoke fluent Spanish, French, Italian, English, German, and Russian and composed songs in a variety of national techniques. Her career took her to the best musical halls across Europe, and from the 1840s until her retirement she was known for her performances in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Her compositions were written mainly as private pieces; she wrote most of her works after retiring to Baden-Baden. Between 1864 and 1874 she wrote three salon operas – Trop de femmes (1867), L’ogre (1868) and Le dernier sorcier (1869), all to libretti by Ivan Turgenev.

Giuseppe Verdi was an Italian composer. A supporter of the Risorgimento, the unification of Italy, Verdi featured politically charged moments in his music, especially early in his career. By the age of 34, he had become an internationally renowned conductor, and his operas were performed not only throughout Italy, but on all the world’s major stages. His artistic success was accompanied by financial success, allowing him to purchase the Sant’Agata farm near his ancestral home. Perhaps fittingly, Verdi concluded his musical oeuvre with three compositions set to the timeless texts of Stabat Mater, Te Deum and Ave Maria. In accordance with his wishes, he was buried at the chapel at the Casa di Riposo per Musicisti in Milan, a home for retired musicians that he had built and endowed using profits from his music copyrights, which funded the institution for many years.

The Singing Fountain

The town’s iconic Singing Fountain has been a popular gathering spot for almost four decades. Designed by Slovak artist and architect Pavol Mikšík, it was built between 1982 and 1986. The first plans for the water element were conceived in 1976, when architect Otakar Kuča drew up the landscape plan surrounding the historic cast-iron Maxim Gorky Colonnade. Engineer Pavel Janeček provided invaluable technical support to these and other important architects of the time. In fact, Janeček was the first to suggest that the circular “pond” of motionless water be transformed into a multipurpose musical fountain with variating jets of water illuminated with floodlights.

The impressive “water ballet” of music and light is controlled by ten water circuits, which are variously switched around to create multi-shaped, dynamic forms. Two circuits are composed of 330 jets arranged around the perimeter and directed towards the center of the fountain. The other circuits include a central jet, which shoots up to a height of six meters. At the center of the circular fountain, twelve stone shapes symbolizing a water flower floating on the surface protrude from the water.

Renovation of the Singing Fountain

Due to necessary repairs, the Singing Fountain is temporarily out of commission. Work started on 9 September 2024, with completion scheduled for 28 April 2025. In the overhaul, all of the technical parts – the pipes, pumps, wiring, sound, and lighting – will be replaced. The concrete sections of the fountain will be re-waterproofed, and the above-ground elements will be expertly restored and returned to their original places, ensuring that the Singing Fountain will remain exactly as we know and love it.

Thank you for understanding, and we hope that the Rendezvous exhibition will make your stay in Mariánské Lázně during the renovation more enjoyable.

City of Mariánské Lázně

Please remain silent while the music is playing

As one of the Great Spa Towns of Europe, Mariánské Lázně reflects the attributes of Outstanding Universal Value, with its numerous healing springs, valuable historical architecture, therapeutic landscape, unique infrastructure, and traditional cultural and social life.

Whether today or in the past, music has always been an integral part of life in Mariánské Lázně – from the symphony orchestra to the Frédéric Chopin Society, Frédéric Chopin Art School, and the Singing Fountain. From the autumn of 2024 until the spring of 2025, visitors to the spa town can also view the interactive exhibition titled Rendezvous at the Fountain.

The most important musical institution in Mariánské Lázně is certainly the West Bohemian Symphony Orchestra, one of the oldest symphony orchestras in the Czech Republic. Established in 1821, the orchestra is closely tied to the evolution of the town into a spa and cultural center. The WBSO regularly performs at important venues in the town, including the Casino Cultural House and the Colonnade. The orchestra also appears at various music festivals, including traditional Christmas concerts and classical music festivals.

The Town Museum recently created an online exhibition dedicated to the musical history of Mariánské Lázně. Mariánské Lázně Between the Five Lines presents ten small musical pieces by composers whose names have nearly fallen into oblivion but remain connected with the history of the spa town in various ways. In addition to songs by Marienbad bandmasters dedicated to important occasions and events, the selection includes Louis Spohr’s musical recollection of his spa holiday, short salon pieces penned by local celebrities, and a song celebrating winter sports and patriotism.

Based at the Chopin House on the main square, the Frédéric Chopin Society is one of the oldest musical societies in the world. It was established on 10 June 1959 with the main objective of performing the composer’s music at a Chopin festival. Initially held under the name “Festive Chopin Days,” it has been called the Chopin Festival since 1969. After 1990, the Society became a member of the International Federation of Chopin Societies based in Vienna. The federation is part of the International Music Council, an advisory body to UNESCO in the field of music. The Society works closely with the Polish Institute and other organizations to prepare the festival and other events.

Music in Mariánské Lázně is also important in education, as seen at the Frédéric Chopin Art School, which offers lessons not only in music, but also in visual arts, literary arts, dance, and theater. The school holds regular concerts, performances, and exhibitions, where students can present their skills to the public.