Cheb – Historical Main Squares in the Czech Republic 2.

Location: Cheb, Karlovy Vary Region 

City of Cheb is located to the north-west corner of the Czech Republic, the last Czech city of any size before reaching the German border. A city full of magnificently preserved historical sites and its unique medieval atmosphere. Cheb is an interesting mix of German and Czech culture, and the bilingual, bicultural heritage can be seen most vividly in the historical main square.

When you walk through the medieval square in Cheb, your eyes will immediately fall on the city's symbol – Špalíček. This picturesque group of eleven medieval merchants’ houses grew up here as early as the 13th century. Several other beautiful houses with historical meanings can be found in the main (market) square too. One of them is Pachelbel House, now the building of the Regional Museum. In 1634, the Pachebel House was the scene of assassination of Albrecht von Wallenstein, one of the most controversial figures in Czech and European history, whose life was frequently interlinked with the city's history. A merchant, politician and military commander who became one of the most powerful personalities in Europe in his time. Because of his betrayal, and his huge power the Habsburg Emperor ordered the murdering of the Wallenstein.

Other houses of the main square: Grüner House, House at Black Bear, Black Eagle, Golden Lion, Unicorn, the Town Hall, Minetti House, Brentano house and so on. Beautiful buildings, full of the history of Cheb.

Domažlice – Historical main squares in the Czech Republic 1.

Location: Domažlice, West Bohemia

The main square of Domažlice, capital of the so-called Chodsko border region, close to Germany, is renowned for its leaning tower, which is today a part of the dean´s Church of The Virgin Mary. (the originally Gothic church was rebuilt in the Baroque style). Its tower (open to the public) has a deviation of 60 cm from its vertical axis. The other main historical values of this square are the historic houses. These houses with arcades in Domažlice are the only houses of this type to be preserved in the region of West Bohemia and nearby Bavaria.

Beside these monuments the visitor can see other sights in the main square too. The eastern end of the square is closed by the Dolejší brána, this beautiful Gate Tower, which was a part of the former fortification of the city in the 14^th century. It was reconstructed in 1905. Another ecclesiastical building is the Augustinian monastery and church. The town-hall from 1891-1893 is also situated in the square. The fountain in front of the town-hall was constructed in 2005 as an approximate replica of the original.