The town in the heart of Europe can show off with a rich history going back to the 9th Century. Happenings that took place behind the stone or colorful walls of silent witnesses of the past entered the history…

Cheb was first mentioned in a list of the German king Jindrich IV. in 1061. Construction of the first stone stronghold is connected with the early-Middle-Age's policy of colonization.

In 1157, the German emperor Friedrich Barbarossa acquired Cheb as an inheritance. He had the old stronghold rebuilt into a representative imperial residence. Under the rule of the king Jan Lucembursky, the town was once for all added, as a hereditary security, to the Czech Crown Lands. Within the kingdom, it had a privilege of self-governing territory with its own council. The Czech king George of Podebrady also used Cheb's services for his political dealings. My, Jindřich, král z Boží milosti, dáváme všem na vědomí, že jsme svému služebníkovi Otnantovi darovali část lesa u cesty směřující od Chebu.“