Teplá

Teplá (Tepl) is a town in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,900 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as urban monument zone.

Administrative parts
The villages of Babice, Beranov, Beranovka, Beroun, Bezvěrov, Bohuslav, Číhaná, Heřmanov, Horní Kramolín, Hoštěc, Jankovice, Kladruby, Klášter, Křepkovice, Mrázov, Nezdice, Pěkovice, Popovice, Poutnov, Rankovice, Služetín, Staré Sedlo and Zahrádka are administrative parts of Teplá.

Etymology
The name Teplá means 'warm'. The town was named after the Teplá River that flows through it, known for its warm water and thermal springs in its lower course.

Geography
Teplá is located about 28 km south of Karlovy Vary. It lies in the Teplá Highlands. The highest point is the hill Služetínský vrch at 774 m above sea level. The Teplá River flows through the town. The area is rich in fishponds. The western part of the municipal territory is situated in the Slavkov Forest Protected Landscape Area.

History
The Teplá Abbey was founded in 1193 by nobleman Hroznata of Ovenec. The first written mention of the town next to the abbey is from 1197. In the 13th century, the town had strategic importance of the land gate with customs and a market and played an important role in land defense. In these times most of the villages in the neighbourhood, later incorporated to the municipality, were founded.

Transport
Teplá is located on the railway line Karlovy Vary–Mariánské Lázně.

Sights
The most significant monument is the Baroque complex of the Teplá Abbey. Its oldest preserved part is the Romanesque-Gothic Church of the Annunciation of the Lord. The complex is opened to the public and serves also as a library, museum and gallery.

The Gothic Church of Saint Giles in the town's centre was built on the site of the former church in 1762–1765. Its most valuable part are frescoes from scenes from the life of Saint Giles by Elias Dollhopf from 1765.

The Renaissance town hall belong to the oldest buildings in the town. It was built in 1572–1574 and formerly served as a Latin school. Valuable is also the Old Town Hall, built in the Baroque style in 1698.

There are three significant mineral springs in Teplá, the best of which is Oriona. Until 1945, a bottling plant stood at the source of Oriona. Now it's just a well covered with a gazebo.

Notable people

 * Gerhard Auer (1943–2019), German rower, Olympic champion

Twin towns – sister cities
Teplá is twinned with:
 * 🇩🇪 Konnersreuth, Germany