Otročín - Mineral water spring

Delicious water rich in minerals

Otročínská kyselka (also Horní otročínský pramen) is a freely accessible mineral spring in Otročín in the Karlovy Vary district. The mineral spring springs in the Tepelská vrchovina south of the village of Otročín, north of the town of Teplá. The spring of Otročínská kyselka is located on the western edge of the Slavkovský les Protected Landscape Area, but outside the PLA. It lies on the boundary of the Marianske Lazne metabasic complex, consisting mainly of amphibolite, and the Tepelský crystalline complex with a predominance of gneiss. Amphibolite has an effect on the increased magnesium content in the mineral water. The wider surroundings are rich in mineral waters and since the Middle Ages the Premonstratensians from the Teplá monastery have paid attention to them.

The path to the mineral water spring

The first list of the surrounding mineral springs dates back to 1609. Bohuslav Balbín made another list at the end of the 17th century and stated that the surroundings of Teplá are permeated with excellent, health-beneficial, delicious acidic waters that cannot even be counted. In 2008, the spring and its surroundings were reconstructed. The original 70 cm long hollow trunk with the engraved year 1819 was preserved for collection. A new gazebo was built above the collection and the surroundings were paved. An information board is located near the gazebo. The outflow is solved by a trough and a stream into the Nadlucký stream, which flows in the immediate vicinity of the spring.

Although the spring is collected in alluvium, it has a fissure character with a relatively low temperature at the spring. The temperature of the spring fluctuates slightly around 7 °C, the total mineralization is approximately 2,000 mg/liter. The carbon dioxide content is high, reaching 2,600 mg/liter, which gives the mineral water high effervescence and a pleasant sour taste. The mineral water has a slightly increased content of calcium (234 mg/l), magnesium (109 mg/l) and iron (16 mg/l). The pH value is 5.3. There are no reports of the healing effects of the mineral water.

The sampling point of the mineral spring is freely accessible and is marked on tourist maps. A local, blue-marked tourist trail, less than 2 kilometers long, leads from Otročín to the spring. There is a tourist shelter at the point where the trail turns off the road from Otročín to Teplá.