The Sokolov Castle
The late reneissance castle originated after 1633 on the ground plan of an older Šlik stronghold, which had suffered heavy damage during the Thirty Years` War. From the time of rebuilding comes also the fountain in the courtyard with the coats-of-arms of J.H. Nostic and his secind wife Marie Eleanor Popel of Lobkovice. Originally, the castle had two gates and cupolas on the towers. It was encompassed by a moat, and surrounded by a park with statues and a game preserve with deer and fallow deer. In the 19th century it was further modified in the classicism and newer styles. Since 1960, the castle has housed a museum (today the Regional museum of the Carlsbad region), the municipal library and a ceremonial hall.
The Parish Church of st. Jacob the Greater
It used to stand in Sokolov already towards the end of the 13th century. The old church, destroyed in 1632, was reconstructed during 1632-1637 in a late reneissance style. It was rebuild again in 1671-1681 in the baroque style during the time of Jan Hartvik Nostic and in the year of 1672 was the originally decanal church elevated to archdecanal. The temple itself remains in the early baroque style and most of its furnishings is baroque as well. Worthy of note is the precious sandstone font from 1679. The high altar with the statue of the church patron st. Jacob the Greater originated in 1756.
The Ancient Town Hall
This two-storey reneissance building in the historical square was built around 1540 and rebuild in the gothic style into its today`s shape after a fire in the 1730`s. In the facade, the original gothic-reneissance portal has been kept, with medallions placed in the corner spandrels. In the head has been preserved a faulty city coat-of-arms (wherein the falcon sits erroneously on a stump branch, rather than on a triple branch). On the ridge of the roof there used to stand a little tower, which was hit by a lightning in 1794. Only thanks to hewing the tower away was the spreading of the fire prevented. Today, the building houses the headquaters of the company Sokolovska uhelna.
The Monastery Church of st. Anthony
The church forms a closure of the southern end of the Old Square. Its building was participated on by the then holder of the domain Jan Hartvik Nostic, as well as the Capuchins of Linz. The monastery was ceremonially ordained on 20th October 1667 by the bishop of Litomerice Maximilian Rudolf of Slejnic. The buildings of the convent are arranged around a square garth with a round well. The dominant of the monastery is the building of the church of st. Anthony of Padua. It is a single-nave hall with side chapels. The groundplan of the church constitutes a cross. The church has a massive triangular entrance portal. The monastery survived the abolishment of many monasteries during the rule of Emperor Josef II. and was active until 1950, when, on March 4th, it was liquidated by the state secret service (StB), with the Capuchins themselves interred, and the monastery itself appropriated to the Ministry of Defense. Further devastation was caused by the Czechoslovak army, and the advancing coal mining was behind the devastation of a part of the original garden of the monastery and the chapel of st. Anna, built in 1782. The state to which the crypt came left a lot to be desired as well. An extensive reconstruction of both the monastery and the crypt took place in the 90`s and since 2002 the monastery has served as a concert hall.
The Chapel of the Holy Trinity
The chapel stands in front of the monastery, it comes from 1719 and originally it served as a graveyard chapel. The archdeacon Karel Muller ordered it to be rebuilt into a late baroque shape in 1772-1774, and in 1772 the painter and burgrave of Horni Slavkov Elias Dollhopf decorated it with baroque frescos. The interior was destroyed by the city fire of 1874, after which was the chapel in the middle of the 1980`s lastly reconstructed.
The Former World War 1st Victims' Memorial - Outlook Tower Hard
The Memorial used to stand on the rise of Hard above the hospital not far from the city graveyard. In 1907 an 18-meter high, wood-frame outlook tower had been built here. The wooden outlook superstructure was torn down and in its place, a 5-meter bronz statue of Christ by the Sokolov artist Tony Schonecker was installed. In World War II, the statue was melted and used for military purposes. Today, the outlook tower has been renewed in the original style and it is used by the tourists.
The Fountain with the Falconer
The fountain was installed in the Old square in 1777, but it is probably of a more ancient origin. A Falconer with a dog at his feet is according to an old legend the founder of the city. He was a townsman of Cheb, who allegedly founded the falcon yard, from which Sokolov (ger. Falkenau, or Falcon-town) later arose. However, according to a different legend the founder of the city was the knight Sebastian, who settled here after his return from a crusade. The fountain reminds us of the hop-growing tradition of Sokolov as well – sprigs of hops ramp around the fust.
The Marian Column
The Column was created by a stonecutter from Cheb, Vilem Felsener, in 1701. It stands in the middle of the Old Square on a square base with protrudent corners, on which statues of saints are placed. On the socle, which bears the column itself, are alternately displayed reliefs with winged angel heads and plant motifs with pomegrenates.
Barokní socha sv. Jana NepomuckéhoThe Baroque statue of st. John of Nepomuk
This statue by an unknown artist originally stood by the erstwhile Water Gate at a wooden bridge over the river Ohre. It has been newly relocated into the street of J.K.Tyl, near to the wooden bridge. Its carving was ordered by the Bachelor of theology and Magister of philosophy and liberal arts Jan Krystof Kun. The pedestal bears a latin inscription, `Nobody trusted in Lord and was vanquished`, with a chronogram 1828. A depiction of a recumbent st. John of Nepomuk is carved into the lower part.
The Mining House
In the present day the seat of the Municipal House of Culture, the House was built in 1923-24 according to a design by the architect Rudolf Wels. In the facade of the building, a mononumental relief from 1923 is set, called `One Day in the Life of a Miner`, by the sculptor Wilhelm Srba-Schossbauer from Carlsbad.
Other important monuments of the city of Sokolov
• The evangelical church of st. Thomas
• The city walls
• The Jubilee Fountain in the Old Square
• The sculptular group of st. John of Nepomuk with angels
• The memorial plaque dedicated to the U.S. Army
• The Memorial of the Soviet Prisoners of War
