Kuks Hospital

Kuks Hospital is a monumental Baroque complex on the Elbe River in northern Bohemia, built in the early 18th century on the initiative of Count Franz Anton von Sporck. Today it houses the famous allegorical statues of Virtues and Vices carved by Matthias Bernard Braun, a chapel with the Sporck family crypt, and one of Europe's oldest pharmacy museums.

Why did Sporck build a hospital here, not just a spa?

Sporck chose Kuks because mineral springs rose nearby, springs local people had long credited with healing properties. In 1694 he had the water tested by professors from the Prague Medical Faculty, and their verdict was favorable enough that he set out to turn Kuks into a world-famous spa. A complex grew up around the springs with ballrooms, a theater, and hunting grounds, and its social life drew visitors from across Europe. A flood in 1740 destroyed most of the spa infrastructure and ended that chapter of Kuks for good — the hospital itself was largely what survived.

Who designed the complex, and who decorated it?

The architecture was the work of Giovanni Battista Alliprandi, with construction running from 1707 to 1715. Sporck brought his court sculptor, Matthias Bernard Braun, to Kuks in 1712 — Braun was only 28 at the time, but the commission he received there became the high point of his career.

What do the statues on the terrace show?

Braun carved a cycle of 24 allegorical statues representing twelve virtues and twelve vices, set along both sides of the terrace in front of the hospital building. The main part of the cycle dates from 1718–1719, though work on decorating the complex stretched from 1712 to roughly 1731 overall. The statues were meant to remind the hospital's residents of the eternal struggle between good and evil, and of the founder's own philanthropy. Because the originals were exposed to the weather, they were later moved into the hospital's lapidarium, and the figures now standing outside are copies.

Who cared for the hospital's residents?

The hospital formally opened in 1743, five years after Sporck's death. Care for elderly and wounded soldiers and war veterans was entrusted to the Order of the Brothers Hospitallers (the Order of Saint John of God), who ran the facility from 1743 until 1938. Following the Munich Agreement, the order was forced to leave Kuks, closing that chapter of the site's history.

What is there to see in the chapel and the pharmacy museum?

At the heart of the complex stands the stone Church of the Holy Trinity, with a mysterious crypt that serves as the Sporck family's burial place. Since 1946 the hospital building has operated as a museum of Baroque art and the history of Czech pharmacy. Visitors can tour the preserved Baroque pharmacy "U Granátového jablka" (At the Pomegranate), considered one of the oldest pharmacies in Europe, complete with original Baroque furnishings and a collection of pharmaceutical containers — some labeled with such exotic "remedies" as dragon's blood or powder made from a hanged man's head.

What is hidden in the forest near Kuks?

A few kilometers from the hospital, in a wood known as the New Forest, Braun carved a complex of Baroque statues and reliefs directly into the sandstone rock face — a work known as Braunův Betlém, or the Bethlehem of Braun. In 2001 it was declared a national cultural monument and placed on UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative List. The site is open year-round and draws tens of thousands of visitors annually, who reach it via the red or yellow marked hiking trails.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who founded Kuks Hospital? Count Franz Anton von Sporck, who built it between 1707 and 1715 next to mineral springs, hoping to create a famous spa.

Who created the statues of Virtues and Vices? Matthias Bernard Braun, Sporck's court sculptor, who arrived in Kuks in 1712. The main cycle of 24 statues was largely completed in 1718–1719.

Where are Braun's original statues now? The originals were moved into the hospital's lapidarium to protect them from the weather; the figures standing outside today are copies.

Who ran the hospital, and for how long? The Order of the Brothers Hospitallers cared for elderly soldiers and veterans there from 1743 to 1938, until the Munich Agreement forced them out.

What can visitors see in Kuks today? A museum of Baroque art and pharmacy history with a historic pharmacy, the Church of the Holy Trinity with the Sporck family crypt, and the Bethlehem of Braun — statues carved into rock in the nearby forest, on UNESCO's tentative list.