Cheb Castle & Old Town
Chebský hrad
The 12th-century imperial palace site of a Holy Roman Emperor. Beside the Black Tower and the double-storey chapel stands the Špalíček, a group of half-timbered houses.
Cheb Castle was the imperial residence of Emperor Frederick I, known as Barbarossa or 'Redbeard'. It preserves the Black Tower, built of volcanic stone, and a rare Romanesque-Gothic double-storey chapel. In 1634, General Wallenstein was assassinated in Cheb. In the centre of the Old Town square stands the Špalíček, a group of 11 medieval half-timbered houses packed into a single block, which makes it very distinctive. The castle is about 45 km from Karlovy Vary, around an hour by train, and can be visited in the same day as Františkovy Lázně.
Opening hours
Approx. April–October 10:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Františkovy Lázně (Franzensbad)
- Kynžvart Chateau
- Mariánské Lázně (Marienbad)
- Loket Castle
- Svatošské skály (Hans Heiling Rocks)
- Bečov nad Teplou Castle & Reliquary of St. Maurus
- Moser Glassworks & Museum
- Jan Becher Museum