IMPERIAL CASTLE OF CHEB (HRAD)

The site is strategic (a ford on the river) and was occupied for a long time by various Germanic and Slavic tribes, then by the Premyslid lords. Even before the construction of the castle, archaeological excavations have revealed the presence of several strongholds and settlements dating back centuries.

The present ruins (the largest of their kind in the country) are those of a castle built by Frederick Barbarossa in the 12th century on the site of earlier constructions. Like many other places, he used it as a temporary home for his court, as German settlers became more and more numerous in the region. The palace is now roofless, but its size and multiple arched windows are impressive. Or the massive basalt keep, nicknamed the Black Tower (Černá Věž). From its 18.50 m, one can look out over the surrounding fortifications, the old and modern town, and the river. But the main attraction is the chapel Sv. Erhada a Uršuly, which is unique in its kind. It is a two-story building with a Romanesque (in the lower hall) and Gothic (in the upper hall) vault. Ribbed vaults, columns and carved capitals... A small marvel then - and a highly historical site: it is here that in 1634 the famous general Albrecht of Wallenstein, one of the most controversial and colorful characters of the Thirty Years' War, was murdered.