Hrad Loket

In a picturesque wooded valley, the Ohře River has created a meander, at the top of which rises the massive Loket Castle.

Below the castle, on the south-eastern slopes, lies the town, which is protected by a loop of the river – nature and man have thus created a very impressive romantic whole, which is unique in the whole of Bohemia.

In the past, this impregnable fortress has always aroused the well-deserved admiration of many visitors, and this is no different today.

The first written mention of Loket dates back to 1234, but the foundation of the stone castle used to date back to the reign of Přemysl Otakar I. After the discovery of the Romanesque rotunda, which is one of the oldest Czech-style buildings, it is possible to date the foundation of the castle earlier – to the 3rd quarter of the 12th century.

In later times Loket was important as a border fortress. Charles IV, who often stayed in Loket, included Loket among the towns that must not be alienated from the Czech Crown in his unpublished law “Maiestas Carolina”.

According to the legend, Charles IV discovered hot medicinal springs while hunting in the Loket forests and founded the town of Horké Lázně u Lokt, later called Karlovy Vary.