Kuks
| Kuks | |
| Village | |
 Kuks Hospital
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| Country | Czech Republic |
|---|---|
| Region | Hradec Králové |
| District | Trutnov |
| Little District | Dvůr Králové nad Labem |
| Elevation | 283 m (928 ft) |
| Coordinates | 50°24′03″N 15°53′26″E / 50.40083°N 15.89056°ECoordinates: 50°24′03″N 15°53′26″E / 50.40083°N 15.89056°E |
| Area | 4.81 km2 (1.86 sq mi) |
| Population | 235 (2005) |
| Density | 49/km2 (127/sq mi) |
| First mentioned | 1692 |
| Mayor | Jiří Beran |
| Timezone | CET (UTC+1) |
| - summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 544 43 |
   Location in the Czech Republic
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Website: www |
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Kuks (German: Kukus) is a village in the Czech Republic, Hradec Králové Region, Trutnov District. Its main feature is a baroque spa building with famous sculptures by Matthias Braun.
On the slope of the Elbe in Kuks, there used to be mineral springs. In 1692–96, Count Franz Anton von Sporck, the owner of the county, directed three of them at one place and built a simple spa. When the healing effects of the water were proven by professors of Charles University and experts from Baden-Baden, Špork enlarged the spa in 1707–22 with an octagonal Church of Holy Trinity, a hospital, theatre and other buildings in the Baroque style. The interiors and exteriors were decorated with Baroque sculptures by Matthias Braun, the most famous of which are the Virtues and Vices. The German Count Georg Ludwig Albrecht von Rantzau stayed in Kuks (Kukus-Bad) together with the Duke and Duchess of Brunswick in 1726. In his memoirs, he calls this place the most pleasant and comfortable spa in Europe.
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, Church, and Pharmacy buildings have been preserved, along with historic furnishings, and are considered masterpieces of the Baroque. Braun's exterior sculptures also survive, but have been fast eroding due to the action of water, from rainfall and moisture rising from the ground. For this reason, the Kuks Forest Sculptures were listed in the 2000 World Monuments Watch by the World Monuments Fund. With the financial support of American Express, pump boxes were installed to drive groundwater away from the sculptures and low-lying vegetation was removed to enhance air circulation in the damp wooded environment.
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Wikipedia