Count F.A. Špork had an extensive spa complex built in the original area below the Krkonoše Mountains. His area was drawn up on a mirroring theme, on an axis vertical to the stream of the Labe River. The construction on the left bank was set for social life, and the opposite bank belonged to those of a more spiritual nature.

A compassionate brother and doctor took care of the hospital, still equipped with Baroque furniture, the sacred church of the Holy Trinity with the Spork family graves, a stairway with waterfalls leading to the former spa manor and several spa buildings.

The biggest escape of the Baroque complex is the sculptured decorations including the famous allegorical cycle Twelve Divine Virtues, which come mainly from the pieces of Matthias Bernard Braun.

Braun’s pieces also include statues and reliefs entitled “Bethlehem,” carved directly into sandstone walls, which can be seen not far from Kuks, on the rise of the New Forest and above the region of Žírec. Herein Braun created an extensive collection of the Plastic Arts with his students during the time from 1723 until 1733. These artworks are interesting because they emerged as a thought-out collection of artistic pieces created right at the place of discovery of suitable rock. The most famous piece is a statue of St. Onufria, a copy of which decorated the Czechoslovak exhibition hall at the worldwide exhibition in Osace in 1970.

From the original extensive area, only part was preserved and the Plastic artworks have been substantially damaged. In spite of this, they offer a sight worth seeing. Since 1970, “Bethlehem” has been considered a cultural memorial, and the World Monument Fund recently classified it as one of the most endangered memorials in the world.

The Kuks area and “Bethlehem” have their own icon graphical conception, unmatched on the European level.

Tags: Bethlehem, Kuks, Matthias Bernard Braun