Czech Republic: Marienbad, renamed by the Czechs as Marianske Lazne (spa) after 1945 when the Sudetenland Germans were expelled, was founded in 1817 by the nearby Tepla Monastery, one of the wealthiest land owners in western Bohemia. Most of the present buildings date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries when the Art Nouveau style was at its peak. In the past, famous writers, poets, and royalty stayed at spas. The city stretches along a 4 km axis along a valley with wooded hills on all sides. Paths, parks, and 39 therapeutic springs focus on the neo-baroque, cast-iron Colonnade. Spa treatments for a week or longer are generally taken in the larger hotels.