Cheb Castle (Chebský hrad)

Around the year 900, a Slavic stronghold occupied the same site. Around 1120, a new castle was erected under Margrave Diepold III of Vohburg. When the Egerland passed to the Staufers in 1167, the castle evolved into an administrative center of the Holy Roman Empire. Emperor Frederick Barbarossa ordered its expansion into an imperial palatinate from 1179 onwards, resulting in the construction of the Romanesque palace, the Black Tower, and the double chapel of St. Martin by 1189. After the end of the Staufer era, Bohemian kings utilized the castle for representative purposes until it reverted to the city of Eger in 1471. Following a fire in 1472, parts of the castle were rebuilt. During the Thirty Years' War, an event occurred in 1634 when Wallenstein's loyalists were murdered in the castle's great hall. Between 1675 and 1713, it was converted into a citadel under the Habsburgs. After a period of decay, the city reacquired the castle in 1895 and initiated preservation efforts. The castle survived both World Wars unscathed.

Visitors can explore Cheb Castle today. Romanesque architectural elements from the Staufer imperial palatinate are still preserved, including the outer walls of the palace with their window arcades, the Black Tower, and the largely intact double chapel of St. Martin, St. Erhard, and St. Ursula. An archaeological collection featuring finds from the Egerland is housed within the castle's rooms.