Teplice is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region. Together with Šanov, its historic core forms the Teplice municipal heritage zone, as stated in the Heritage Catalogue of the National Heritage Institute.[1] This protects two historic towns, Teplice and Šanov.[1]
Medieval development
The development of Teplice began with a Benedictine convent founded here in the 1160s by Queen Judith. Near it arose the founding core of a settlement, which probably soon acquired an urban character. The date it was granted town status is unknown, but by the mid-13th century Teplice was undoubtedly already a town.[1]
The core within the walls had a somewhat irregular layout. In the southeastern corner stood the convent, which was destroyed after the Hussite Wars and was rebuilt and extended into a chateau during the Renaissance. In the northwestern corner lay Tržní náměstí. The two centres were connected by Dlouhá ulice, and the walls had four gates.[1] The medieval town also had suburbs with economic facilities, but these have almost completely disappeared and are recalled only by certain local names, such as Mariánský dvůr.[1]
Spas and industry
Until the 19th century, the town's economy was based mainly on its spas. They were concentrated near the convent, around Lázeňské náměstí and Lázeňská ulice, where a number of valuable spa buildings stand.[1] The railway from Teplice to Ústí nad Labem, opened in 1858, accelerated the growth of industry in the region as well as the growth of the town.[1] A new centre of development arose near the railway station. During the 1860s and 1870s, a number of new districts were laid out, for example the area between the former Krupská brána gate and the railway station along Masarykova ulice, as well as Benešovo náměstí and Tržní (Schmeykalovo) náměstí. From the 1870s, Vrchlického ulice began to be built up, the first villa district, where the houses of prominent industrialists stood. The last streets of today's centre were added in the 1890s, mainly in the valley called Wiesenthal, today's Kollárova ulice.[1]
At the end of the 19th century and in the first half of the 20th century, Teplice was among the largest towns in the country. The Heritage Catalogue states that monuments from all periods have been preserved there, from the Romanesque monastic building through historicist spa buildings to modern urban palaces and department stores.[1]
Šanov
Šanov also owed its prosperity to the spa industry. It acquired a semi-urban character as early as the 18th century, when continuous rows of houses began to appear in U Hadích and U Kamenných lázní. However, truly urban rows of historicist apartment buildings around the spa park and the former village green did not appear until the mid-19th century.[1] Šanov became a town after the completion of the Church of St. Elizabeth in 1884. As early as 1896, due to financial difficulties and the unsustainability of independent administration, it was administratively merged with Teplice.[1] The main space of Šanov is the spa park, today's sady Čs. armády, with the most important spa buildings.[1]
The zone also includes Lípová ulice, the historic connecting road between Teplice and Šanov, and the so-called Židovský vrch, where a large historicist synagogue stood, which the Nazis destroyed in 1939.[1]