Kuks (in old German sources Kukus) is a village in the Czech Republic, East Bohemia, Hradec Kralove Region, on the Labe (Elbe) river between Jaroměř and Dvůr Králové nad Labem. It has 234 inhabitants. It is a popular tourist attraction due to Kuks Castle - a Baroque hospital (former spa resort with mineral springs) decorated by statues from Matthias Braun.

History

On the slope of the Elbe in Kuks, there used to be mineral springs. In 1692 - 1696, F.A.Špork , the owner of the county, directed three of them at one place and built a simple spa. When the healing effects of the water got proven by Professors of Charles University and experts from Baden-Baden, F.A.Špork extended the spa in 1707 - 1722 with a octagonal Church of Holy Trinity, a Hospital, theatre and other buildings in Baroque style. Interiors and exteriors have been decorated with Baroque sculptures by Matthias Braun, most famous Virtues and Vices.

F.A.Špork died in 1738 and his heirs were not interested in maintaining the spa. A flood in 1740 destroyed most of the infrastructure and put the spa out of business. The Hospital (now called Kuks Castle), Church, Pharmacy with historical furniture and Matthias Braun's statues in a park have however remained to the present days and are considered a masterpiece of European Baroque style.

After Munich Agreement until the end of World War II, the territory of Kuks became the border area of Nazi Germany. Railroad Pardubice - Jaroměř - Turnov, which goes through Kuks, crossed the border four times in about 40 km. See scanned image of the relevant page from 1944 German timetable here.

Surrounding

More Baroque statues from Matthias Braun, so-called Bethlehem (Betlém), are in a nearby village of Žireč (part of Dvůr Králové nad Labem). Other places of interest in the area are in Dvůr Králové nad Labem proper (zoo) and Jaroměř (fortress).

External links

• Official web site of the Kuks municipality (in Czech)
• Virtual tour of the Kuks Castle
• Short information on Kuks Castle in English
• Kuks on a map