The best city hikes and walks around lake Michal

Saint John of Nepomuk was a priest (Vicar General of the Archbishop) in Bohemia who died a martyr's death in Prague in 1393. By royal order, he was thrown from Prague's Charles Bridge into the Vltava River and drowned. His statue can still be found on or near many bridges today—as is the case here over the Ohře River. He is not only considered a popular "bridge saint" but also the patron saint of the seal of confession. In many depictions of him, he holds a cross in one hand, sometimes placing a finger to his lips with the other as a sign of silence (which was heard during confession). In this depiction, however, his other hand holds a palm branch, which in Christian iconography is the sign of martyrdom. The feast day of Saint John of Nepomuk in the calendar of saints is March 20.

The train station, which was extensively modernized in 2008, is located in the north of the city. This is where the main line from Cheb to Karlovy Vary is connected. There is constant criticism of how many homeless people live here and how many beggars hang around. The area around the train station is considered a dangerous place in Sokolov.

The road junction east of the station is decorated with a large wooden sculpture of the knight Sebastián, who, according to legend, founded Sokolov at the confluence of the Ohře and Zwota rivers. Sebastián was a skilled falconer, and the local nobles valued his services very much. This is how the place got its name, Falkenau.

This mural, which Vlastimil Květenský created in 1980 for the entrance to the police station in Sokolov, is clearly inspired by socialist-communist art. Květenský (1930 to 1985) was a ceramicist, painter and draftsman; he created ceramic sculptures and bronze reliefs. As a professor, the artist, who has won several international awards, taught at the Technical Secondary School for Ceramics in Karlovy Vary.

The Municipal Culture House (Hornický dům) is the former miner's house, which was built between 1923 and 1925 according to the design of the architect Rudolf Wels. It became an important centre of social, political and cultural life. On the façade there is a relief entitled "A Day in the Life of a Miner" by the Karlovy Vary sculptor Wilhelm Srb-Schlossbauer. In 1969 and 1970 Hornický dům was rebuilt, the façade was covered with white marble slabs, the windows were replaced and the roof was adapted. The Sokolovský Information Centre is also located here.

The name Sokolov, originally Valkenowe, first appears in a document from 1279. The legend of the town's founding takes place at the time of the Crusades. Knight Sebastián, returning from the Crusades in the Holy Land, found only a burnt ruin and the overgrown grave of his wife instead of his castle near Cheb. He left the place that reminded him of the loss of his loved ones, walked along the river and built a hut at the confluence of the Ohře and Svatava to live in seclusion. The lords of the castle from Loket often came to this area to hunt with their trained falcons. Knight Sebastián (popularly known as Wastl) was also a good falconer, which is why his skills quickly became very sought after. A settlement soon grew up around the hermit's hut, where hunting falcons were bred and trained. It was named after the birds: Valkenowe, later Sokolov. The falcon became the city’s heraldic animal.

This silver maple is the strongest tree in the Hus Garden. It stands on the right bank of the Lobezské stream opposite the indoor swimming pool. The maple, which is protected as a memorial tree, has an asymmetrical crown and a spiral-shaped trunk with a diameter of three meters. The crown of the tree reaches a height of 28 meters. The tree has been under protection since 2006.

Until 1948, Sokolov was called Falknov nad Ohří (Falkenau an der Eger). Located at the confluence of the Eger (Ohře) and Zwota (Svatava) rivers, the industrial town, which is dominated by brown coal mining, has around 23,000 inhabitants today. Sokolov is the capital of the district of the same name in the west Bohemian region of Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad). The mayor is Petr Kubis from the national conservative, right-wing populist party ANO 2011. The town council has 27 members. The town administration (Městský úřad) is located in this modern high-rise building on Rokycanova Street.