‘We, Henry the King by the divine blessing, declare to the knowledge of all, that we have donated to our servant Otnant a part of forest along the way to Cheb.’
— Henry IV, February 13th, 1061

This first written reference to the town Cheb from the year 1061 is, at the same time, also the oldest documentation of the advancing medieval colonisation of the territory around Cheb in the extreme western Czech Republic near the German border. The historical region of Cheb has been part of the Holy Roman Empire.

Cheb is one of the oldest towns in Bohemia, with a history full of violence for it guards the easiest approach to Bohemia from the northwest. However, the picturesque old town retains much of its historic gothic and renaissance architecture dated from 9th century till today. And despite its relatively small size, 35,000, and a rather remote geographical location, the city of Cheb is today one of the Czech Republic’s most multicultural cities.

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