| Teplá | |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Karlovy Vary |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Cheb |
| Pushpin Map: | Czech Republic |
| Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Czech Republic |
| Coordinates: | 49.9819°N 12.8631°W |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Karel Hermann |
| Established Title: | First mentioned |
| Established Date: | 1197 |
| Area Total Km2: | 113.21 |
| Elevation M: | 690 |
| Population As Of: | 2024-01-01 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 2906 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | CET |
| Utc Offset1: | +1 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 364 61 |
Teplá (German: Tepl) is a town in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,900 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as urban monument zone.
The villages of Babice, Beranov, Beranovka, Beroun, Bezvěrov, Bohuslav, Číhaná, Heřmanov, Horní Kramolín, Hoštěc, Jankovice, Kladruby, Klášter, Křepkovice, Mrázov, Nezdice, Pěkovice, Popovice, Poutnov, Rankovice, Služetín, Staré Sedlo and Zahrádka are administrative parts of Teplá.
The name Teplá means 'warm'. The town was named after the Teplá River that flows through it, known for its warm water and thermal springs in its lower course.[2]
Teplá is located about 28km (17miles) south of Karlovy Vary. It lies in the Teplá Highlands. The highest point is the hill Služetínský vrch at 774m (2,539feet) above sea level. The Teplá River flows through the town. The area is rich in fishponds. The western part of the municipal territory is situated in the Slavkov Forest Protected Landscape Area.
The Teplá Abbey was founded in 1193 by nobleman Hroznata of Ovenec. The first written mention of the town next to the abbey is from 1197. In the 13th century, the town had strategic importance of the land gate with customs and a market and played an important role in land defense. In these times most of the villages in the neighbourhood, later incorporated to the municipality, were founded.[3]
Teplá is located on the railway line Karlovy Vary–Mariánské Lázně.
The most significant monument is the Baroque complex of the Teplá Abbey. Its oldest preserved part is the Romanesque-Gothic Church of the Annunciation of the Lord. The complex is opened to the public and serves also as a library, museum and gallery.[4]
The Gothic Church of Saint Giles in the town's centre was built on the site of the former church in 1762–1765. Its most valuable part are frescoes from scenes from the life of Saint Giles by Elias Dollhopf from 1765.[5]
The Renaissance town hall belong to the oldest buildings in the town. It was built in 1572–1574 and formerly served as a Latin school. Valuable is also the Old Town Hall, built in the Baroque style in 1698.[6]
There are three significant mineral springs in Teplá, the best of which is Oriona. Until 1945, a bottling plant stood at the source of Oriona. Now it's just a well covered with a gazebo.[7]
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic. Teplá is twinned with:[8]