Elbogen: Hotels and accommodations

Elbogen is home to Loket Castle, a more than 900-year-old royal seat on a granite massif surrounded by the Ohře River. The public tour route through the castle includes porcelain exhibitions, collections from the former town museum, a weapons museum, and an authentic exhibition on medieval criminal justice. This exhibition is located in the authentic cellar rooms of the former prison.

One of the town’s special museums is the Museum of Secret Societies, with 700 exhibits on secret organizations such as Freemasons, Illuminati, Rosicrucians, and Skull and Bones. Loket’s original town fortifications were built during the reign of Přemysl Otakar II; the associated bastions still contain loopholes to this day.

The origins of Loket’s Black Tower can be traced back to the 13th century. It was part of the fortress of the so-called Lower Castle, guarded the town entrance, and also served as a watchtower. Today, the Black Tower houses an exhibition on historical crafts, including pottery, carpentry, and food processing. From there, visitors can see the town of Loket and Loket Castle.

St. Wenceslas Church stands on the site of an originally Romanesque church that was probably built before the middle of the 13th century. The Museum of Kurlutsch Cups displays more than 3,000 cups dating from the second half of the 18th century to 1945 and presents the world’s most comprehensive collection of porcelain Kurlutsch cups, which were used for drinking Karlovy Vary mineral water. The Goethe Monument commemorates the German poet, prose writer, playwright, and politician Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749–1832), who frequently visited Loket; his diaries record three journeys through and ten stays in the town.

In the immediate vicinity of Loket is Třešňovka, a recreational trail with 23 stations, a viewpoint overlooking the castle and town, a picnic area, and interactive elements for children.

Loket is located in the Slavkovský les Protected Landscape Area. The Ohře Valley is accessible only on foot or by bicycle.

The Loket Visitor Center provides a town map with tips for the historic center and scenic routes around the town. Loket Castle can be reached almost all the way to the destination on foot, on horseback, by bicycle, on the water, by car, or by train.

The Loket motocross track has been a permanent part of the FIM Motocross World Championship calendar for decades, since the first race in 1995. The Loketské kulturní léto festival was founded in 2000; the first performance was Dvořák’s opera Rusalka on July 6, 2000.

The small brewery museum in the Payer House, one of the oldest buildings in the town, presents the traditional production of barrels, malt processing, historical bottling, and old machinery. The museum is part of the Svatý Florian family brewery.

More destination pages: Liebauthal, Falkenau An Der Eger, Schaben, Gossengrün, Schwaderbach, Stríbrná, Podstrani, Schlaggenwald.

To the higher-level travel overview: Falkenau An Der Eger District.