A significant royal town was originated in the mid-13th century on the rock-bulge above the river Ohře on the place of a former Slavic settlement. In the 14th century a Gothic town grew up here, which later professed Hussite thoughts and preserved its Gothic appearance till the Thirty Years War. The war was the reason for the Baroque and later the Classicist reconstructions, which gave the town the recent face. In these styles were rebuilt the Town Hall - the main town dominant with a big tower as well as most of the citizens´ houses on narrow plots. The original Gothic castle was rebuilt into a brewery. In the region there are suitable climatic conditions for hops-growing, which has 700 years old tradition here.