Fountain with the Statue of Roland

The fountain with the statue of Roland may be found in the upper part of Krále Jiřího z Poděbrad Square near the Tourist Information Centre.

Accessible to the public Public area

The square is complemented with two fountains from the 15th century. The stone bowels with decorative statues are of younger dating. The first stone fountain in Cheb was created between the years 1481 and 1482 and installed in the upper part of the square. It was removed during the development of Nádražní Street in 1865. Its author was master mason Erhard Pauer from Eichstätt in Bavaria who also built the Late Gothic nave of the parish Church of Saint Nicholas. In 1523, the original wooden basin was replaced by a stone bowl and a wooden polychrome statue by artist Mathes was installed on the fountain in 1528. The statue of the man-at-arms, subsequently dedicated to Saint Martin, resembled local joiner Barth and it was immediately nicknamed Mart-Barth-Tischler. In 1591, it was replaced by a stone statue of an armed landsknecht (mercenary solider, literary meaning “servant of the land”) by sculptor Wolf Henff who consequently received a permit to reside and work in Cheb. Also this sculpture of Roland, which symbolized the town rights, was soon nicknamed Wastl by the local inhabitants. In 1966, the statue was restored by sculptor Jožka Antek and it was replaced by a copy made by sculptor J. Živný in 1981. The original statue of the stone knight was relocated to the museum.

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