Loket (; german: Elbogen) is a town of in
Sokolov District
Sokolov District ( cs, okres Sokolov) is a district (''okres'') within the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Sokolov, Czech Republic, Sokolov.
Complete list of municipalities
Březová (Sokolov District), Břez ...
in the
Karlovy Vary Region
The Karlovy Vary Region or Carlsbad Region ( cs, Karlovarský kraj, German: ''Karlsbader Region'') is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the westernmost part of its historical region of Bohemia. It is named afte ...
of the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
. It has about 3,100 inhabitants. The town centre itself features
Loket Castle
Loket Castle ( cs, Hrad Loket, german: Burg Elbogen) is a 12th-century Gothic architecture, Gothic style castle about from Karlovy Vary on a massive rock in the town of Loket (Sokolov District), Loket, Karlovy Vary Region, Karlovarský kraj, Czec ...
, a 12th-century Gothic castle. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as
urban monument reservation.
Administrative parts
Villages of Dvory, Nadlesí and Údolí are administrative parts of Loket.
Etymology
Both Loket and Elbogen mean "
elbow
The elbow is the region between the arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and the media ...
" in Czech and German, respectively. The town got its name due to the town centre being surrounded on three sides by the
Ohře
The Ohře () or, slightly less commonly in English sources, the Eger (, Czech also: ''Oharka'' or ''Ohara'', Celtic: ''Agara'', pl, Ohrza), is a 316 km river in Germany (50 km) and the Czech Republic (266 km), left tributary of t ...
River, and the shape the river takes is similar to that of an elbow.
Geography
Loket is located about east of
Sokolov and southwest of
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary (; german: Karlsbad, formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 46,000 inhabitants. It lies on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá. ...
. It lies mostly in the
Slavkov Forest
The Slavkov Forest ( cs, Slavkovský les), also called the Emperor's Forest
at www.sachsen.de. Retrieved 14 Nov 2016. (german: Ka ...
, only the northwestern part of the townextends into the
Sokolov Basin
The Sokolov Basin or Falkenau Basin (german: Falkenauer Becken, formerly also ''Falkenau-Elbogen-Karlsbader Becken''; cz, Sokolovská pánev) is a drainage basin and geomorphological unit in the Czech Republic. It is located in northwestern Boh ...
. The highest point is the hill Zelenáč at above sea level. The
Ohře
The Ohře () or, slightly less commonly in English sources, the Eger (, Czech also: ''Oharka'' or ''Ohara'', Celtic: ''Agara'', pl, Ohrza), is a 316 km river in Germany (50 km) and the Czech Republic (266 km), left tributary of t ...
River flows through the town.
History
In the second half of the 12th century, a royal castle Loket was built on a landmark promontory within the Ohře River bend.
[ It used to be called the "Key to the Kingdom of Bohemia". Soon after, a small town, first mentioned in 1234, arose below the castle.][
In the early 15th century the royal town was fortified and turned into an important focal point of the Bohemian Crown. In the course of the 19th century, the town became famous for its local porcelain factory. However, industrial production was located in the surrounding towns.
The town was part of the ]Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...
until 1918, in the Falkenau 18th district (one of the 94 "Bezirkshauptmannschaften" in Bohemia).
From 1938 to 1945 it was one of the municipalities in Sudetenland
The list below gives German names and Czech names of towns along with county names and other information in the Sudetenland from World War I through the era of World War II known as interwar Czechoslovakia.
Southern Sudetenland
{, class="wi ...
. In 1945 the German population was expelled according to the Beneš decrees
The Beneš decrees, sk, Dekréty prezidenta republiky) and the Constitutional Decrees of the President of the Republic ( cz, Ústavní dekrety presidenta republiky, sk, Ústavné dekréty prezidenta republiky) were a series of laws drafted by t ...
. In the late 20th century, the castle underwent a complete reconstruction and was subsequently open to the public.
Sights
The most visited historical monument in the town is Romanesque Loket Castle
Loket Castle ( cs, Hrad Loket, german: Burg Elbogen) is a 12th-century Gothic architecture, Gothic style castle about from Karlovy Vary on a massive rock in the town of Loket (Sokolov District), Loket, Karlovy Vary Region, Karlovarský kraj, Czec ...
. In the days of the House of Luxembourg
The House of Luxembourg ( lb, D'Lëtzebuerger Haus; french: Maison de Luxembourg; german: Haus Luxemburg) or Luxembourg dynasty was a royal family of the Holy Roman Empire in the Late Middle Ages, whose members between 1308 and 1437 ruled as king ...
, the castle served as a temporary residence of members of the royal family. During the Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
it was conquered and plundered by Swedish troops. The abandoned castle burned down in 1725, and was rebuilt into a regional jail in 1822.
Culture
The town plays host to an annual opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
festival, which takes place in an open-air amphitheatre
An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...
with the castle as a backdrop.
Sport
Loket plays host to the Czech Motocross
Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.
History
Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...
Grand Prix.
In popular culture
Loket was used, in conjunction with Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary (; german: Karlsbad, formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 46,000 inhabitants. It lies on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá. ...
, to portray a Montenegrin town in the 2006 ''James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
'' film '' Casino Royale''.
Loket fielded an assignment at Loket Castle and Svatoš rocks during the finale of the 21st season of the Dutch reality television series ''Wie is de Mol?
''Wie is de Mol?'' (''English'': ''Who is the Mole?'') is a Dutch adventure reality game show. It is based on the Belgian reality game show '' De Mol'', the original version of the format created in 1998 by Woestijnvis and broadcast on VRT.
Fo ...
''.
Notable people
*Ferdinand Pfohl
Ferdinand Pfohl (; 12 October 1862, Elbogen, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary, now Loket n.O., Czech Republic – 16 December 1949, Hamburg-Bergedorf), was a German music critic, music writer and composer.
Pfohl studied law at Prague, then in Leipz ...
(1862–1949), German music critic and composer
*Wolfgang von Schwind
Wolfgang von Schwind also spelled Wolfgang von Schwindt (4 July 1879 – 19 April 1949) was an Austrian actor and opera singer. He appeared in more than eighty films from 1920 to 1947. He was the grandson of Austrian painter Moritz von Schwind ...
(1879–1949), Austrian actor and opera singer
Twin towns – sister cities
Loket is twinned with:
* Illertissen
Illertissen () is a town in the district of Neu-Ulm in Bavaria. It is situated approximately 20 km south from Ulm nearby the river Iller.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms lent by Erhard Vöhlin in the year 1530 shows an upright standing lion ...
, Germany
References
External links
*
Tourist Information Centre
{{authority control
Cities and towns in the Czech Republic
Populated places in Sokolov District