Hungarian Jews on vacation in Marienbad, the Czech spa town near the border with Germany (public domain)
More than a century ago, Jewish doctors were prescribing “solitary walks in the forest” and Bohemian spring water to their patients. Ready to meet the onslaught of largely Yiddish-speaking tourists was Marienbad, one of three Czech spa towns with seasonal Jewish influxes.
Surrounded by dozens of springs with high-mineral content, Marienbad was where great Torah scholars from Poland rubbed elbows with Britain’s King Edward VII and Sigmund Freud. Festooned with elaborate fountains, promenades, and meeting halls, the town was perfect for conventions and conferences.