Editing Cheb

{{other uses}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = Cheb
| other_name              = 
| settlement_type         = [[Obec|Town]]
<!-- images -->
| image_skyline           = Cheb Eger Egerer Stöckl Špalíček-0219.jpg
| image_caption           = Krále Jiřího z Poděbrad Square
| image_flag              = Cheb_flag.svg
| image_shield            = Cheb_coat_of_arms.svg
| image_blank_emblem      = Cheb logo.svg
| blank_emblem_type       = [[Wordmark]]
<!-- location -->
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_name        = {{CZE}}
| subdivision_type1       = [[Regions of the Czech Republic|Region]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[Karlovy Vary Region|Karlovy Vary]]
| subdivision_type2       = [[Districts of the Czech Republic|District]]
| subdivision_name2       = [[Cheb District|Cheb]]
<!-- maps and coordinates -->
| image_map               = 
| map_caption             = 
| pushpin_map             = Czech Republic
| pushpin_relief          = 1
| pushpin_map_caption     = Location in the Czech Republic
| coordinates             = {{coord|50|4|46|N|12|22|14|E|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes   = 
<!-- government type, leaders -->
| leader_title            = Mayor
| leader_name             = Jan Vrba
| leader_party            = {{polparty|Czech Republic|ANO}}
<!-- established -->
| established_title       = First mentioned
| established_date        = 1061
<!-- area -->
| area_footnotes          = 
| area_total_km2          = 96.36
<!-- elevation -->
| elevation_footnotes     = 
| elevation_m             = 459
<!-- population -->
| population_as_of        = 2025-01-01
| population_footnotes    = <ref>{{cite web|title=Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2025|url=https://csu.gov.cz/produkty/population-of-municipalities-t4l3n8d2iw|publisher=[[Czech Statistical Office]]|date=2025-05-16}}</ref>
| population_total        = 32808
| population_density_km2  = auto
<!-- time zone(s) -->
| timezone1               = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1             = +1
| timezone1_DST           = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST         = +2
<!-- postal codes, area code -->
| postal_code_type        = Postal code
| postal_code             = 350 02
| area_code_type          = 
| area_code               = 
<!-- website, footnotes -->
| website                 = {{URL|https://www.cheb.cz/}}
| footnotes               = 
}}
'''Cheb''' ({{IPA|cs|xɛp|-|Cs Cheb.ogg}}; {{langx|de|Eger}}) is a town in the [[Karlovy Vary Region]] of the [[Czech Republic]]. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. It lies on the [[Ohře]] River.

Before the [[Expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia|expulsion of Germans]] in 1945, the town was the centre of the German-speaking region known as [[Egerland]]. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an [[Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservations|urban monument reservation]].

==Administrative division==
Cheb consists of 19 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):<ref>{{cite web |title=Public Census 2021 – basic data|url=https://vdb.czso.cz/vdbvo2/faces/en/index.jsf?page=vystup-objekt-parametry&z=T&f=TABULKA&sp=A&skupId=4690&katalog=33475&pvo=SLD21043-CO|work=Public Database|publisher=[[Czech Statistical Office]]|language=cs|date=2022}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=12em}}
*Cheb (26,768)
*Bříza (47)
*Cetnov (104)
*Chvoječná (28)
*Dolní Dvory (49)
*Dřenice (50)
*Háje (1,082)
*Horní Dvory (57)
*Hradiště (206)
*Hrozňatov (209)
*Jindřichov (86)
*Klest (41)
*Loužek (23)
*Pelhřimov (95)
*Podhoří (142)
*Podhrad (665)
*Skalka (228)
*Střížov (172)
*Tršnice (109)
{{div col end}}

==Etymology==
[[File:Cheb dřev most 2.jpg|thumb|Wooden bridge over the Ohře]]
The first name of the town, documented in 1061, was ''Egire''. It was a Latin name, which was derived from the Celtic name of the [[Ohře]] River ''Agara''. The German name ''Eger'' was then derived from the Latin name.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jak dobře znáte Chebsko. Otestujte se v kvízu Deníku| newspaper=Chebský Deník |url=https://chebsky.denik.cz/zpravy_region/jak-dobre-znate-chebsko-otestujte-se-v-kvizu-deniku-20230318.html?question=1|publisher=Deník.cz|language=cs|date=2023-03-18|access-date=2023-03-23 | last1=Nová | first1=Alena }}</ref>

The Czech name ''Cheb'' first appeared in the mid-14th century. The name is derived from the old Czech word ''heb'' (modern Czech ''oheb, ohyb''), which means "bend". It is related to bends of the Ohře River.<ref>{{cite web |title=O původu názvů západočeských měst I|url=https://plzen.rozhlas.cz/o-puvodu-nazvu-zapadoceskych-mest-i-6799556|publisher=[[Czech Radio]]|language=cs|date=2004-04-02|access-date=2022-06-07}}</ref>

==Geography==
Cheb is located about {{convert|38|km}} southwest of [[Karlovy Vary]], on the border with [[Germany]]. The northern and western parts of the municipal territory lie in the [[Fichtel Mountains]]; the rest of the territory lies in the [[Cheb Basin]], named after the town. The highest point is the hill Zelená hora at {{convert|637|m|ft|abbr=on}} above sea level.

The [[Ohře]] River flows through the town. There are two large [[reservoir (water)|reservoirs]] in the municipal territory: Skalka (northeast of the town and supplied by the Ohře) and Jesenice (southeast of the town and supplied by the [[Wondreb]]). There are also several small fishponds, especially in the southern part of the municipal territory.

===Climate===
Cheb has a [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Dfb''; [[Trewartha climate classification|Trewartha]]: ''Dclo''), with average temperatures in January and February below freezing and an average temperature of {{convert|0.0|C}} in December. The average summer temperature is around {{convert|17.3|C}}, and it is not uncommon to see days with temperatures above {{convert|30.0|C}}. The town enters spring in late April and winter in early October.
{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = Cheb (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1864–present)
|collapsed = yes
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 14.6
|Feb record high C = 17.4
|Mar record high C = 22.6
|Apr record high C = 28.8
|May record high C = 32.8
|Jun record high C = 36.2
|Jul record high C = 38.1
|Aug record high C = 36.9
|Sep record high C = 33.2
|Oct record high C = 26.1
|Nov record high C = 17.5
|Dec record high C = 14.6
|year record high C = 38.1
|Jan high C = 1.6
|Feb high C = 3.5
|Mar high C = 8.3
|Apr high C = 14.2
|May high C = 18.7
|Jun high C = 22.0
|Jul high C = 24.1
|Aug high C = 24.0
|Sep high C = 18.7
|Oct high C = 12.6
|Nov high C = 6.0
|Dec high C = 2.0
|year high C = 13.0
|Jan mean C = -1.0
|Feb mean C = -0.2
|Mar mean C = 3.5
|Apr mean C = 8.3
|May mean C = 12.8
|Jun mean C = 16.2
|Jul mean C = 17.9
|Aug mean C = 17.4
|Sep mean C = 12.8
|Oct mean C = 8.1
|Nov mean C = 3.4
|Dec mean C = 0.0
|year mean C = 8.3
|Jan low C = -3.6
|Feb low C = -3.4
|Mar low C = -0.4
|Apr low C = 2.9
|May low C = 7.0
|Jun low C = 10.4
|Jul low C = 12.1
|Aug low C = 11.8
|Sep low C = 8.2
|Oct low C = 4.6
|Nov low C = 0.9
|Dec low C = -2.2
|year low C = 4.0
|Jan record low C = -24.6
|Feb record low C = -28.4
|Mar record low C = -21.5
|Apr record low C = -8.6
|May record low C = -4.1
|Jun record low C = -0.6
|Jul record low C = 2.2
|Aug record low C = 0.7
|Sep record low C = -2.6
|Oct record low C = -9.2
|Nov record low C = -17.7
|Dec record low C = -25.9
|year record low C = -28.4
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 41.9
|Feb precipitation mm = 31.0
|Mar precipitation mm = 37.9
|Apr precipitation mm = 33.6
|May precipitation mm = 56.9
|Jun precipitation mm = 70.5
|Jul precipitation mm = 76.8
|Aug precipitation mm = 69.5
|Sep precipitation mm = 53.8
|Oct precipitation mm = 46.1
|Nov precipitation mm = 44.0
|Dec precipitation mm = 46.9
|year precipitation mm = 609.0
|Jan snow cm = 20.9
|Feb snow cm = 15.9
|Mar snow cm = 7.9
|Apr snow cm = 1.2
|May snow cm = 0.0
|Jun snow cm = 0.0
|Jul snow cm = 0.0
|Aug snow cm = 0.0
|Sep snow cm = 0.0
|Oct snow cm = 0.5
|Nov snow cm = 6.9
|Dec snow cm = 16.0
|year snow cm = 69.4
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 10.2
|Feb precipitation days = 8.0
|Mar precipitation days = 9.3
|Apr precipitation days = 7.7
|May precipitation days = 9.5
|Jun precipitation days = 9.5
|Jul precipitation days = 10.8
|Aug precipitation days = 9.4
|Sep precipitation days = 8.1
|Oct precipitation days = 9.3
|Nov precipitation days = 9.2
|Dec precipitation days = 10.2
|year precipitation days = 111.4
|humidity colour = green
|Jan humidity = 85.8
|Feb humidity = 81.4
|Mar humidity = 75.8
|Apr humidity = 68.4
|May humidity = 68.1
|Jun humidity = 68.6
|Jul humidity = 68.4
|Aug humidity = 70.6
|Sep humidity = 78.0
|Oct humidity = 83.5
|Nov humidity = 88.0
|Dec humidity = 88.2
|year humidity = 77.1
|Jan dew point C = -4.5
|Feb dew point C = -3.7
|Mar dew point C = -1.3
|Apr dew point C = 1.6
|May dew point C = 6.0
|Jun dew point C = 9.4
|Jul dew point C = 10.8
|Aug dew point C = 10.8
|Sep dew point C = 8.6
|Oct dew point C = 4.8
|Nov dew point C = 0.3
|Dec dew point C = -2.9
|Jan sun = 43.8
|Feb sun = 74.3
|Mar sun = 118.1
|Apr sun = 177.3
|May sun = 206.7
|Jun sun = 212.2
|Jul sun = 224.6
|Aug sun = 214.1
|Sep sun = 149.1
|Oct sun = 96.1
|Nov sun = 39.0
|Dec sun = 32.6
|year sun = 1587.8
|source 1 = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]] (dew point 1961–1990)<ref>{{cite web |title=World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Cheb|url=https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/CzechRepublic/CSV/Cheb_11406.csv|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|access-date=2024-01-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240908225702/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/CzechRepublic/CSV/Cheb_11406.csv|archive-date=2024-09-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Cheb Climate Normals 1961–1990|url=ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_VI/CZ/11406.TXT|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712210104/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_VI/CZ/11406.TXT|archive-date=2020-07-12|url-status=dead|access-date=2015-03-29}}</ref>
|source 2 = [[Czech Hydrometeorological Institute]] (extremes)<ref>{{cite web |title=Teplota vzduchu v jednotlivé kalendářní dny|url=https://www.envidata.cz/dataAnalysis/meteoKlima/T.php?ID=L3CHEB01&type=graphMD|publisher=[[Czech Hydrometeorological Institute]]|language=cs|access-date=2024-08-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250103224754/https://www.envidata.cz/dataAnalysis/meteoKlima/T.php?ID=L3CHEB01&type=graphMD|archive-date=2025-01-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Množství nového sněhu v jednotlivé měsíce v jednotlivé roky|url=https://www.envidata.cz/dataAnalysis/meteoKlima/N.php?ID=L3CHEB01&type=graphMY|publisher=Czech Hydrometeorological Institute|language=cs|access-date=2024-09-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240908225003/https://www.envidata.cz/dataAnalysis/meteoKlima/N.php?ID=L3CHEB01&type=graphMY|archive-date=2024-09-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Průměrná relativní vlhkost vzduchu v jednotlivé měsíce v jednotlivé roky|url=https://www.envidata.cz/dataAnalysis/meteoKlima/H.php?ID=L3CHEB01&type=graphMY|publisher=Czech Hydrometeorological Institute|language=cs|access-date=2024-09-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240908225442/https://www.envidata.cz/dataAnalysis/meteoKlima/H.php?ID=L3CHEB01&type=graphMY|archive-date=2024-09-08}}</ref>}}

==History==
[[File:Cheb hrad 4.jpg|thumb|Cheb Castle with the Black Tower]]
[[File:Ermordung-wallensteins-in-eger-anonymer-kupferstich 1-640x370.jpg|thumb|Killing of [[Albrecht von Wallenstein]]]]
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 137-004055, Eger, Besuch Adolf Hitlers.jpg|thumb|150px|Adolf Hitler driving through the crowd in Cheb on 3 October 1938]]
The earliest settlement in the area was a [[Slavs|Slavic]] [[Gord (archaeology)|gord]] at what is now known as the Cheb Castle complex, north of the town centre.<ref>{{cite web |title=Slovanské pohřebiště|url=https://www.hrad-cheb.cz/cz/slovanske-pohrebiste|publisher=Cheb Castle|language=cs|access-date=2022-06-07}}</ref> In 807 the district of today's Cheb was included in the new [[margraviate]] of [[East Franconia]], which belonged at first to the [[Babenberg]]s, but from 906 to the margraves (marquis) of [[Vohburg]].<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Eger (Austria)|display=Eger|volume=9|page=12}}</ref>

The first written mention of Cheb is from 1061.<ref name=history>{{cite web |title=Generel veřejného osvětlení|url=https://www.cheb.cz/assets/File.ashx?id_org=5091&id_dokumenty=984167|publisher=Město Cheb|page=9|language=cs|date=September 2019|access-date=2023-03-23}}</ref><ref name=osa>{{cite web |title=Časová osa|url=http://encyklopedie.cheb.cz/cz/casova-osa|work=Encyklopedie města Cheb|language=cs|access-date=2023-03-23}}</ref> [[Děpolt II]] founded the castle on the site of the gord around 1125.<ref name=castle>{{cite web |title=Příběh Chebského hradu|url=https://www.hrad-cheb.cz/cz/pribeh-chebskeho-hradu|publisher=Cheb Castle|language=cs|access-date=2023-03-23}}</ref> In 1149, Cheb was described as a fortified marketplace. Emperor [[Frederick Barbarossa]] acquired Cheb in 1167. In 1203, it was first referred to as a town. It became the centre of a historical region called ''[[Egerland]]''.<ref name=history/><ref name=osa/>

From 1266 to 1276, the town was property of King [[Ottokar II of Bohemia]]. The historic town centre was established after the fire in 1270. King [[Wenceslaus II of Bohemia]] held the town in 1291–1304, then [[Albert I of Germany]] acquired the region. It wasn't until 1322 that Cheb became a permanent part of the [[Lands of the Bohemian Crown]], when King [[John of Bohemia]] acquired it from Emperor [[Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Louis IV]]. <ref name=history/><ref name=castle/> The later local history was marked by continued resistance against incorporation into Bohemia.<ref name=Prinz>{{cite book|language=de|title=Deutsche Geschichte im Osten Europas: Böhmen und Mähren|editor=Friedrich Prinz|publisher=Siedler|year=1993|pages=241}}</ref>

On 5 May 1389, during a [[Reichstag (Holy Roman Empire)|Reichstag]] between King [[Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia|Wenceslaus IV]] and a group of Imperial Free Cities of [[southwest Germany]], the [[Treaty of Eger]] was agreed upon, after Wenceslaus had failed to secure his interests in the town.<ref name=osa/> In the 15th century, Cheb was one of the largest and wealthiest towns of [[Kingdom of Bohemia]] with 7,300 inhabitants.<ref name=history/>

The town suffered severely during the [[Hussite Wars]], during the [[Swedish Empire|Swedish]] invasion in the [[Thirty Years' War]] in 1631 and 1647, and in the [[War of the Austrian Succession]] in 1742.<ref name="EB1911"/> In 1634, during the Thirty Years' War, [[Albrecht von Wallenstein]] was killed here. In 1723, Cheb became a [[Royal free city|free royal town]]. The northern part of the old town was devastated by a large fire in 1809, and many middle-age buildings were destroyed.<ref name=osa/>

In 1757, the town's financial self-government was abolished for the sake of Austrian centralization. In 1848, the citizen's council demanded separation from Bohemia and reconstitution of its [[Landtag]].<ref name=Prinz/>

The terms of the [[Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919)|1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye]] triggered civil unrest between the [[Sudeten Germans|Sudeten German]] population and the new [[First Czechoslovak Republic]], just as in the rest of the [[Sudetenland]]. In the interwar period, many ethnic Czechs came to the town with the boom of industry.<ref name=history/>

During the [[Munich Agreement|Sudeten Crisis]], the town was occupied by the [[Nazi Germany|Nazi German]]-sponsored ''[[Sudetendeutsches Freikorps]]'' paramilitary group.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bouverie|first=Tim|year=2019|title=Appeasement: Chamberlain, Hitler, Churchill, and the Road to War|edition=1st|location=New York|publisher=[[Tim Duggan Books]]|page=260|isbn=978-0-451-49984-4|oclc=1042099346}}</ref> On 3 October 1938, the town was visited by [[Adolf Hitler]]; shortly afterward [[Wehrmacht]] troops marched into the Sudetenland and seized control. From 1938 until 1945, the town was annexed to Germany and was administered as part of the [[Reichsgau Sudetenland]]. The [[Gestapo]] and ''[[Ordnungspolizei]]'' operated a prison in Cheb, whose prisoners were subjected to [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=959|title=Gestapogefängnis Eger|website=Bundesarchiv.de|language=de|access-date=2023-11-07}}</ref> Cheb was liberated by the [[97th Infantry Division (United States)|97th Infantry Division]] of the [[United States Army]] on 25 April 1945.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.97thdivision.com/historyp1.html|title=Welcome to the 97th Infantry Division|website=97thdivision.com}}</ref>

After the end of [[World War II]] the region was returned to Czechoslovakia. Under the [[Beneš decrees]] and [[Potsdam Agreement]] of the same year, the German-speaking majority was [[Expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia|expelled]].

==Demographics==
In 1910, only 0.5% of the population were Czech.<ref name="EP">Ernst Pfohl: ''Ortslexikon Sudetenland.'' page 124. Helmut Preußler Verlag-Nürnberg. 1987. {{ISBN|3-925362-47-9}}</ref> Until 1945, it was part of the [[Northern Bavarian]] dialect area. After World War II, due to the [[Expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia|expulsion of ethnic Germans]] and resettlement of Czechs, the population significantly dropped.

{{historical populations
|align=none|cols=3
|1869|17826
|1880|21575
|1890|22875
|1900|28084
|1910|31761
|1921|32735
|1930|37599
|1950|20178
|1961|22133
|1970|26650
|1980|30883
|1991|31847
|2001|32893
|2011|32401
|2021|30161
|source=Censuses<ref>{{cite web |title=Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011|url=https://csu.gov.cz/produkty/historicky-lexikon-obci-1869-az-2015|publisher=[[Czech Statistical Office]]|language=cs|date=2015-12-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Population Census 2021: Population by sex|url=https://vdb.czso.cz/vdbvo2/faces/en/index.jsf?page=vystup-objekt-parametry&z=T&f=TABULKA&sp=A&skupId=4429&katalog=33515&pvo=SLD21001-OB-OK|work=Public Database|publisher=[[Czech Statistical Office]]|date=2021-03-27}}</ref>}}

The current population includes a large group of [[Vietnamese people in the Czech Republic|Vietnamese people]].<ref name=vie>{{cite web |title="Billig, billig." Němci chebské tržnice milovali, Vietnamci už ale chtějí žít jinak|url=https://zpravy.aktualne.cz/ekonomika/billig-billig-nemci-chebske-trznice-milovali-vietnamci-uz-al/r~b1d2ce70177e11eb9d74ac1f6b220ee8/|publisher=Aktuálně.cz|language=cs|date=2020-10-29|access-date=2023-03-23}}</ref> Their families were invited to the country as [[Foreign worker|guest workers]] during the [[History of Czechoslovakia (1948–1989)|Communist era]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Vietnamci jsou v Česku už přes šedesát let. Nová generace žije jinak|url=https://www.denik.cz/spolecnost/vietnamci-jsou-u-nas-uz-pres-sedesat-let-nova-generace-uz-zije-jinak-21220520.html|newspaper=Deník.cz|language=cs|date=2022-05-23|access-date=2023-03-23}}</ref>

==Economy==
The pillars of Cheb's economy are mainly services and tourism, and there are no large companies here. The largest employer is the Town of Cheb. Only four industrial enterprises with 200–250 employees are based in Cheb: [[BeijingWest Industries|BWI Czech Republic]] (manufacturer of automobile parts), [[Nexans|Nexans Power Accessories Czech Republic]] (manufacturer of components for conductors), [[Playmobil|Playmobil CZ]] (toys manufacturer), and Tritia (bakery).<ref>{{cite web |title=Registr ekonomických subjektů|url=https://www.czso.cz/csu/res/registr_ekonomickych_subjektu|work=Business Register|publisher=Czech Statistical Office|language=cs|access-date=2023-03-23}}</ref>

Many entrepreneurs and small traders come from the large Vietnamese community. After the [[Velvet Revolution]] in 1989, the Vietnamese community gradually established seven markets here, and even customers from Germany came to Cheb for cheap goods. Today, three Vietnamese markets operate here.<ref name=vie/>

==Transport==
[[File:Cheb most přes Ohři a chrám svatého Mikuláše.jpg|thumb|Bridge over the Ohře]]
The [[D6 motorway (Czech Republic)|D6 motorway]] from [[Prague]] to [[Karlovy Vary]] and Cheb (part of the European routes [[European route E48|E48]] and [[European route E49|E49]]) forks in Cheb and continues to the Czech-German border to the west (as E48) and to the north (as E49).

Cheb is an important railway junction. The town lies on the railway line of national importance from [[Františkovy Lázně]] to [[Plzeň]], Prague, [[Olomouc]] and [[Ostrava]]. Other railway lines that pass through the town are Prague–[[Chomutov]]–Cheb, [[Nuremberg–Cheb railway|Nuremberg–Cheb]], [[Hof, Bavaria|Hof]]–[[Marktredwitz]], [[Zwickau]]–Cheb and Cheb–[[Luby (Cheb District)|Luby]]. In addition to the main railway station, the town is also served by the Cheb-Skalka station.<ref>{{cite web |title=Detail stanice Cheb|url=https://www.cd.cz/stanice/cheb/5475035|publisher=[[České dráhy]]|language=cs|access-date=2023-03-23}}</ref>

[[Cheb Airport]] is located {{convert|3|km|0}} east of the town centre. It is the second-oldest airport in the country and the oldest still existing.<ref>{{cite news |title=Chebské letiště je nejstarší v České republice|newspaper=Chebský deník|url=https://chebsky.denik.cz/zpravy_region/letiste_cheb_120070511.html|publisher=Deník.cz|language=cs|date=2007-05-12|access-date=2020-11-23}}</ref>

==Education==
Cheb is known for its [[Cheb Violin Making School]].

Two faculties of the [[University of West Bohemia]], pedagogical and economic, have a detached workplace in Cheb and open study programs there.<ref>{{cite web |title=Západočeská univerzita rozšiřuje činnost své Fakulty pedagogické v Chebu|url=https://www.cheb.cz/zapadoceska-univerzita-rozsiruje-cinnost-sve-fakulty-pedagogicke-v-chebu/d-986306|publisher=Město Cheb|language=cs|date=2021-06-21|access-date=2023-03-23}}</ref>

==Sport==
The town is represented by the football club [[FK Hvězda Cheb]]. It plays in the 4th tier of the Czech football system. Its predecessor was the club FC Union Cheb, which played in the [[Czechoslovak First League|Czechoslovak]] and [[Czech First League]] from 1979 to 1996, but then was abolished due to financial reasons.<ref>{{cite web|title=O klubu|url=http://hvezdacheb.cz/o-klubu/|publisher=FK Hvězda Cheb|language=cs|access-date=2023-03-23|archive-date=2023-03-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327210725/http://hvezdacheb.cz/o-klubu/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The team play at the Lokomotiva Stadium, located on street ''U Stadionu''. 

The Lokomotiva Stadium once held [[motorcycle speedway]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Abeceda ploché dráhy – písmeno "CH"|url=https://www.speedwayfakta.cz/2008/11/abeceda-ploche-drahy-pismeno-ch/|website=speedwayfakta.cz|language=cs|access-date=2024-03-30}}</ref> and hosted a final round of the [[Czech Republic Individual Speedway Championship|Czechoslovak Individual Speedway Championship]] for three consecutive years from 1966 to 1968.<ref>{{cite web |title=Individual Czechoslovak Championship|url=http://www.historyspeedway.nstrefa.pl/indmczechoslowacji.php|website=historyspeedway.nstrefa.pl|language=pl|access-date=2024-03-30}}</ref>

==Sights==
[[File:Cheb sv Erhart a Uršula (1180) DSCN1472.JPG|thumb|Chapel of Saints Martin, Erhard and Ursula]]

===Cheb Castle===
On the rock in the northwest of the historic town centre lies Cheb Castle. It was founded around 1125 and was rebuilt into a [[Kaiserpfalz]] at the end of the 12th century. It is the only example of a Kaiserpfalz in the Czech Republic. At the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, the castle was partially rebuilt into a Baroque fortress citadel. Although the castle is mostly a ruin, the torso of the palace, the defensive Black Tower and the Chapel of Saints Martin Erhard and Ursula.<ref name=castle/>

The Chapel of Saints Martin, Erhard and Ursula is a unique Romanesque-Gothic double chapel. It is the best preserved example of the [[Hohenstaufen]] architecture in Central Europe. The chapel has two storeys; the lower storey is in [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] style, while the upper storey is [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]]. On the first floor, there are original capitals of marble columns, decorated with figurative scenes of angels with Bibles as well as lewd scenes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kaple sv. Erharda a Uršuly – dvojitá kaple|url=https://www.hrad-cheb.cz/cz/kaple-sv-erharda-a-ursuly|publisher=Cheb Castle|language=cs|access-date=2023-03-24}}</ref>

===Town square===
[[File:Cheb Špalíček 2.jpg|thumb|Špalíček]]
In the centre of the historic town centre is the Krále Jiřího z Poděbrad Square. One of the symbols of the Cheb architecture is a group of houses known as ''Špalíček''. It is located in the middle of the town square and dates from the 13th century. The bizarre complex of eleven houses consists of narrow, four and five-storey houses without a courtyard, divided by a {{convert|1.6|m|ft}} wide alley. They are mostly in the late Gothic style. The outline of the two blocks can still be seen on the oldest existing records of 1472.<ref>{{cite web |title=Špalíček|url=http://encyklopedie.cheb.cz/cz/encyklopedie/spalicek|work=Encyklopedie města Cheb|language=cs|access-date=2022-06-07}}</ref>

The most valuable burgher house on the town square is the Schirdinger House. It is a Gothic house, built at the beginning of the 13th century and restored after the fire in the 15th century. The Renaissance reconstruction took place in 1622–1626. Today it houses a gallery and a café.<ref>{{cite web |title=Schirdingerovský dům|url=https://pamatkovykatalog.cz/schirdingerovsky-dum-20576146|publisher=National Heritage Institute|language=cs|access-date=2023-03-24}}</ref>

Among the other valuable houses on the town square is the Town House, also known as Pachelbel's House or Juncker House. The house was first mentioned already in the 14th century. On 24 February 1634, [[Albrecht von Wallenstein]] was murdered here. Since 1873, the house serves as the town museum. The museum was later expanded to the neighbouring house.<ref>{{cite web |title=Town House|url=https://www.visitcheb.cz/pamatky/domy-namesti-pesi-zona/48?lang=en|publisher=Visit Cheb|access-date=2023-03-24}}</ref>

The Grüner House on the town square is a Gothic-Baroque house. It belonged to the well-known Wrendl family from 1591 until 1876, whose family coat of arms is above the entrance. When the house was owned by magistrate councillor Grüner in the first half of the 19th century, [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]] frequently spent time here.<ref>{{cite web |title=Grüner House|url=https://visitcheb.cz/pamatky/domy-namesti-pesi-zona/16?lang=en|publisher=Visit Cheb|access-date=2023-03-24}}</ref>

===Sacral monuments===
[[File:Cheb velký kostel 1.jpg|thumb|Church of Saints Nicholas and Elisabeth]]
[[File:Maria Loreto (CZ) Vorderseite.jpg|thumb|Maria Loreto]]
The Church of Saints Nicholas and Elisabeth is the main church of the town and the oldest late Gothic building. It was established as a three-naved Romanesque [[basilica]] in the 1220s, of which the western portal and the lower part of the tower remain in place. After the fire in 1270, it was rebuilt in the Gothic style, another reconstruction took place in the 1470s. After the fire of 1742, the tower was rebuilt with a Baroque [[cupola]], according to the design of the indigenous architect [[Balthasar Neumann]]. The top of the twin steeples were destroyed by bombardment at the end of [[World War II]] and restored in summer 2008. The church tower is open to the public as a lookout lower.<ref>{{cite web |title=Church of Saint Nicholas|url=https://visitcheb.cz/pamatky/kostely-klastery/105?lang=en|publisher=Visit Cheb|access-date=2023-03-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Kostel sv. Mikuláše|url=https://pamatkovykatalog.cz/kostel-sv-mikulase-15266492|publisher=National Heritage Institute|language=cs|access-date=2023-03-24}}</ref>

The [[Franciscans|Franciscan]] monastery with the Church of the Annunciation was founded in 1256 and rebuilt after the fire in 1270. The church is one of the oldest Gothic hall churches in the country. Today the former monastery is owned by the town and is used as the venue of occasional concerts. The monastery also includes publicly accessible monastery garden.<ref>{{cite web |title=Franciscan Church and Monastery|url=https://visitcheb.cz/pamatky/kostely-klastery/97?lang=en|publisher=Visit Cheb|access-date=2023-03-24}}</ref>

The monastery of the order of [[Poor Clares]] with the Church of Saint Clare was founded at the end of the 13th century next to the Franciscan monastery. In 1707–1709, it was demolished and built again according to the design of [[Christoph Dientzenhofer]]. The monastery was abolished in 1782 and the buildings served various purposes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kostel sv. Mikuláše|url=https://pamatkovykatalog.cz/klaster-klarisek-s-byv-kostelem-sv-klary-14884939|publisher=National Heritage Institute|language=cs|access-date=2023-03-24}}</ref>

The [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] monastery with the Church of Saint Wenceslaus was built in 1294–1296. The monastery was badly damaged and the church destroyed during the Thirty Years' War. The new Baroque church was built in 1674–1688. The monastery was dissolved in 1950. The church is still in use, the convent now serves cultural purposes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dominikánský klášter s kostelem sv. Václava|url=https://pamatkovykatalog.cz/dominikansky-klaster-s-kostelem-sv-vaclava-15301047|publisher=National Heritage Institute|language=cs|access-date=2023-03-24}}</ref>

The early Baroque pilgrimage complex Maria Loreto was founded in the village of Starý Hrozňatov (today just Hrozňatov). It was founded next to the Church of the Holy Spirit, which dates from 1557. It belongs to the most visited pilgrimage sites in the country. The complex was built in 1664 and extended in 1675–1683. The [[Stations of the Cross]] that leads to Maria Loreto was originally composed of twenty-nine stations.<ref>{{cite web |title=Loreta|url=https://www.pamatkovykatalog.cz/loreta-153259779|publisher=National Heritage Institute|language=cs|access-date=2023-03-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Loreta Starý Hrozňatov – poutní areál Maria Loreto|url=https://www.kudyznudy.cz/aktivity/loreta-stary-hroznatov|publisher=CzechTourism|language=cs|access-date=2023-03-24}}</ref>

==Notable people==
{{see also|List of people from Cheb}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*[[Johannes Widmann]] ({{circa|1460}} – after 1498), German mathematician
*[[Johann Habermann]] (1516–1590), German Lutheran theologian
*[[Albrecht von Wallenstein]] (1583–1634), military leader and statesman; died here
*[[Johann Georg Macasius]] (1617–1653), German physician
*[[Pavel Klein]] (1652–1717), Jesuit missionary, botanist, writer
*[[Balthasar Neumann]] (1687–1753), German architect and military artillery engineer
*[[Barbara Schack]] (1874–1958), Czechoslovak-German politician
*[[Hugo Zuckermann]] (1881–1914), Jewish-Austrian poet
*[[Rudolf Serkin]] (1903–1991), Czech-American pianist
*[[Erich Riedl]] (1933–2018), German politician
*[[Neda Al-Hilali]] (born 1938), American fiber artist and weaver
*[[Peter Glotz]] (1939–2005), German politician and social scientist
*[[Norbert Singer]] (born 1939), German automotive engineer
*[[Pavel Nedvěd]] (born 1972), footballer, 2003 [[Ballon d'Or]] winner
{{div col end}}

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{see also|List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic}}
Cheb is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Partnerská města|url=https://www.cheb.cz/partnerska-mesta/ms-75640/p1=75640&p2=0|publisher=Město Cheb|language=cs|access-date=2022-10-04}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|VIE}} [[Bắc Ninh]], Vietnam
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Hof, Germany|Hof]], Germany
*{{flagicon|SVK}} [[Nová Dubnica]], Slovakia

Since [[revolutions of 1989|the fall of the Iron Curtain]], Cheb has also had cordial relationships with the neighbouring German towns of [[Waldsassen]] and [[Marktredwitz]].

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Cheb náměstí Schirdinger a Gabler 2.jpg|Historic houses on the town square
Cheb Písečná brána.jpg|Sand Gate near the Ohře
Cheb divadlo 2.jpg|Cheb Theatre
Cheb Františkánský klášter zahrady (2).jpg|Gardens of the Franciscan monastery
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Madonna with St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist (Cheb)]]
* [[Winged Altarpiece of Our Lady from Seeberg]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Cheb}}
{{wikivoyage|Cheb}}
*{{official|https://www.cheb.cz/}}
*[https://visitcheb.cz/?lang=en Visit Cheb] – Interactive encyclopedia of Cheb
*[https://tic.cheb.cz/en/ Tourist Information Centre]
*[https://www.hrad-cheb.cz/cz/ Cheb Castle official website]
*[https://euregio-egrensis.cz/cs Euregio Egrensis] {{in lang|cs}}

{{Cheb District}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cheb| ]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in the Czech Republic]]
[[Category:Populated places in Cheb District]]
[[Category:Populated riverside places in the Czech Republic]]