Cheb
[key], Ger. Eger, city, NW Czech Republic, in Bohemia,
near the German border. A commercial and manufacturing center in a
lignite-mining area, Cheb has industries producing machinery, bicycles, and
textiles. The city is also an important railroad junction, serving Karlovy
Vary and other famous spas nearby. Originally a Slavic village, Cheb was
contested and alternately ruled (12th–14th cent.) by Bohemia and by
the German emperors. It was finally incorporated into Bohemia in 1322 by
John of Luxemburg. The city, which suffered greatly during the Hussite Wars,
retained a privileged status until the 16th cent. Industrialization and the
coming of the railroad stimulated rapid growth in the 19th cent. Present-day
landmarks include the ruins of a 12th-century castle, two 13th-century
monasteries, and the 17th-century castle in which Wallenstein was murdered in 1634.
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