Chebské muzeum (Cheb Museum)

Chebské muzeum (Cheb Museum) Review

The building that houses this museum is just as interesting at its collection; it's known as the Pachelbel House, the setting for a Macbeth-like murder during the Thirty Years' War. In 1634 the great general Albrecht von Wallenstein was executed in this house on the orders of his own emperor. The Hapsburg emperor Ferdinand II, provoked by Wallenstein's increasing power and rumors of treason, ordered the deed done. According to legend, Wallenstein was on his way to the Saxon border to enlist support to fight the Swedes when his own officers barged into his room and stabbed him through the heart with a stave. In his memory, Wallenstein's stark bedroom has been left as it was with its four-poster bed and dark red velvet curtains. (The story also inspired playwright Friedrich Schiller to write the Wallenstein trilogy; he planned the work while living at the top of the square at No. 2.) Aside from preserving this scene, the museum is interesting in its own right, with a Wallenstein family picture gallery, a section on the history of Cheb, and a collection of minerals (including one discovered by Goethe). There's also the stuffed remains of Wallenstein's horse, who died in battle, and a rotating selection of temporary exhibits.