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Merklovka iron spring, 2025. | Photo: admin.
Published: Jun 3, 2025 | Autor: admin.
If you are looking for a tip for a busy day full of experiences for yourself or the whole family, you can combine several destinations in the Křivoklát Highlands between Rakovník and Nové Strašecí.
This article is the third part of a trilogy about three trips in one. Here are the two previous parts:
Route
From the vintage car museum, you can reach the spring in half an hour.
The path also leads through a tunnel under the railway line, and if a train is passing, the rumbling is worth listening to.
Tunnel under the railway line at Merklovka. | Photo: admin.
Discovery of the spring
According to available information, it was discovered in 1808 by forest assistant Jiljí Merkl, who worked for Prince Fürstenberg in the beech forests. The abundant spring was visually different from the others due to its "bloody" (ferrous) color. It is surprising that the pioneering assessment of the water was not carried out until 1952 by Rakovník pharmacist Karel Hackenberger. He confirmed the presence of iron and ammonia (pungent odor), but without specific figures (or I could not find them anywhere). However, this pointed to possible therapeutic effects, and a spa commission was established. It is also possible that at that time there was already business interest in establishing a spa and some qualitative assessment was needed for marketing purposes.
The district governor's office in Rakovník then encouraged the prince to have the area around the spring converted into a simple spa. A spa pavilion with a chapel, two wooden bathtubs, and a pond were built here. A healing bath (for rheumatism and skin diseases) cost 20 kreutzers, which were used to finance a fund for the poor in Lužná. This is where the name "forest spa for the poor" comes from.
Although the spring was marked with a cast-iron sign as Aegidi Quelle (Jiljí's Spring) to commemorate its discoverer and was also dedicated to St. Jiljí, the patron saint of hunters, forests, lepers, and forest animals, it did not catch on. It was known among the people as Mekrovka or Merklovka.
In 1859, a second analysis of the water was carried out (by Dr. Richard André), which was crucial for the development of the spa as a tourist destination. Although it did not prove any miraculous healing properties (rumors of healing effects spread among the common people, as the iron sediments resembled bloody sand and the place was considered mystical):
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Fe (iron): 3.48 mg/l
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Ca (calcium): 81/76 mg/l
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NH₃ (ammonia): 0.8 mg/l
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Mg (magnesium): 25.37 mg/l
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NO₃⁻/NO₂⁻ (nitrogen compounds): trace amounts
However, the water was bacteriologically flawless and, together with the baths, the environment, and the healthy scent of the forest, had a beneficial effect on the health of visitors.
Golden age
In the 19th century, it was a popular destination not only for people from the surrounding area, but also from Rakovník and Prague (it was possible to stay overnight here). In addition to therapeutic reasons, visitors were attracted by the beautiful forests, a pond with rare golden crucian carp (carp), clean forest air, peace and quiet, and the possibility of refreshments in the gamekeeper's lodge, including homemade bread, milk, and beer.
A small pond or lake in the former spa area. | Photo: admin.
A wooden canteen was also built here for workers from the nearby Buštěhrad railway construction site. It later became the center of patriotic debates led by František Skrejšovský.
Patriots
The prince did not look kindly on the debates of Czech patriots who criticized the monarchy. However, it is not known whether he was behind the deliberate arson of the canteen in 1877. After the fire, it was not rebuilt.
Among the patriots was Miroslav Tyrš, co-founder of Sokol. It was at the spa that he asked for the hand of his future wife, Renata Marie Adelina Fügnerová, who was 22 years younger than him and only 15 years old at the time. They married after she came of age.
The beginning of decline
The First World War had a negative impact on the operation of the spa, and the baths were replaced by refreshments in the gamekeeper's lodge. Nevertheless, the place continued to be visited by tourists. It was well maintained and looked more like a park than a forest.
Destruction
After World War II and February 1948, the last cultural event (a concert by a miners' band) took place there in 1949. The communist regime did not take care of the place, and so it fell into irreversible disrepair. In 1963, all the buildings were demolished (the ruins of the barn remained until the 1980s). Only the chapel remained, but its destruction was soon sealed by the fall of a beech tree. In the 1950s, the goldfish in the pond also disappeared.
Revival
It was not until 2000 that Lesy ČR (Czech Forests) reconstructed the chapel (on its original site) and restored the pond with red fish.
The former Merklovka forest spa today. | Photo: admin.
The present
With a lot of imagination, or rather knowledge of the place, you may be able to make out the outlines of the spa. Only the original cellar remains on the hillside, with its access almost completely buried. A chimney (ventilation) leads from it, ending at ground level. However, it is not secured in any way. If you go there with small children, it is best to keep an eye on them until you find the hole in the ground. It is wide enough for a small child to fall into and an adult to break their leg.
Sticks are placed over the hole to the cellar, but they may dry out, weaken, and be covered by leaves over time. The hole will then not even be visible. It is directly above the cellar. | Photo: admin.
The healing properties of the spring
From the very beginning, it was not very significant. However, we only know this for sure today. Repeated water analyses have confirmed a high iron content, the healing properties of which, when taken internally, were already questioned at the beginning of the last century (Dr. Kastner). On the contrary, baths for rheumatism continued to be recommended.
Drinking water from the spring with the above-mentioned iron content can be considered unsuitable if it is to be the primary source of this element for the body. Today, there are more effective and gentler preparations. Iron from water is absorbed very little. However, higher consumption can cause diarrhea, constipation, black stools, and reduce the effectiveness of some antibiotics.
Therefore, moderation is key here as well. In any case, drinking during a trip or even bringing a bottle of water from the spring home will not cause any harm.
Shaky camera
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Short video of the surroundings and history of the spring:
Tři výlety v jednom - léčivá studánka (3. část)
How to continue
You can return the way you came. But if you want to continue, here are a few tips. From the spring, go to point no. 1 (Kluk) and continue in various directions.
Route 1 → 5: Řevničov railway station (3.8 km | 1:04 h), not all trains stop here.
Route 1 → 4 → 5: via the Pod Malým Louštínem crossroads to Řevničov railway station (4.8 km | 1:24 h), not all trains stop here.
Route 1 → 2 → 6 → 8: around the small Punčoška reservoir and Čejkovka cave to Lužná station (4.9 km | 1:26 h). There is a seating area and interesting trees by the reservoir. To get to the cave (cellar?), which is clearly used occasionally, you have to leave the path for a few meters. It usually takes people a while to find it. A few meters from the cave, in the direction of the station, there is a nice playground and seating area.
Route 1 → 2 → 3 → 6 → 8: after visiting the small Punčoška reservoir, return and continue to Louštín Hill. There is a regionally important transmitter here, followed by a seating area and a lookout point. Unfortunately, it is overgrown with bushes and trees, so you won't see much during the growing season. On the way to the train station, stop to look for the cave (8.6 km | 2:42 h).
Route 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5: This route is similar to the previous one, except that from Louštín you will take the "ridge trail" to the Řevničov railway station (8.3 km | 2:31 h).
From Louštín, it is also a short distance to the bus to Krušovice (point no. 7).
The three trips (destinations) described above can be completed in one day, with a maximum distance of 12.5 km.
I walked the routes, asked the locals, and you will find interesting information right at the spring. In addition to the official information on the front of the board from Lesy ČR, there is additional information from various articles attached with thumbtacks on the back. I only corrected or supplemented some of it a little. You can find the most information on the internet here: Merkovka
Weather forecast for the trip area
The destination spring is exactly in the middle of the map.
Terrain Difficulty
The path to Merklovka is quite easy and suitable for everyone. Further on, it is different.
You can expect noticeable descents and ascents. Everyone can manage them in good weather, but it may take a while. The path through the forest is overgrown with roots in places, and it is not very comfortable to ride a bike here. These are not bike paths.
An asphalt road leads to Louštín Hill; the climb is steeper but short.
On the way back, keep in mind that the descent to the train station in Lužná (from point 3 to point 6 along the yellow trail) is steep in places (similar to Krušovice) and completely unsuitable for small children on bikes. The terrain is full of roots, and you have to brake almost the entire way. On this relatively short route, you will descend almost 150 meters.