Weg naar een bron in het bos, Mariánské Lázně 1855 - 1868

František Fridrich made this stereo card, "Weg naar een bron in het bos, Mariánské Lázně", sometime in the late nineteenth century. The image shows a path leading through a dense forest, and in the nineteenth century, stereo cards like this one were a popular form of entertainment, bringing distant places into people's homes. But there's more to this image than meets the eye. Mariánské Lázně, known as Marienbad in German, was a famous spa town in Bohemia, now the Czech Republic. These towns were social and cultural hubs, attracting wealthy visitors seeking health and leisure. The development of Marienbad as a resort was heavily tied to the growth of the railroad system. These spas became destinations for Europe’s elite, with sophisticated leisure activities available for its visitors. Fridrich's image, therefore, captures a specific moment in the history of tourism and leisure, reflecting the social and economic structures of the time. To fully understand this image, it would be fascinating to delve into the archives of Mariánské Lázně, exploring the stories of the people who visited and lived there.