Loket is a town of some 3,000 inhabitants in the Sokolov district in the Karlovy Vary region of the Czech Republic.
Loket means "elbow" in English. The town is named this due to the town centre being surrounded on three sides by the Ohře River, and the shape the river takes is similar to that of an elbow. The stone Loket Castle is over 800 years old. It was probably founded as a border fortress. It dominates the town on a granite solid rock.

Documents firts mention Loket in 1234. The building of the stone castle used to be dated to the reign of the Czech king Přemysl Otakar I (1197-1230) but with the finding of a Romanesque chapel which experts consider one of the oldest buildings of the Czech type, it is possible to date it to the 1170s or earlier. The Castle served kings, the Šlik family and the nobility from Plauen, the Loket aristocracy and in the 19th and 20th centuries also as a prison. In 1992 the castle was handed over to the town of Loket, which has been looking for ways to make its appearance match its significance. In 1993 the castle was reopened to the public.

On the first floor of the Margraviate House you are invited to see an enchanting exhibition of porcelain from the production of the neighbouring factories, some of which, however, do not exist any more. The archeological exposition on the groundfloor contains mainly archeological findings from the castle and the vicinity of the castle: relics of cups and dishes. The Festive Hall is used for medieval feasts and wedding receptions, for concert and theatre performances.

A Romanesque, 26m-high tower conceals the Loket Dragon! In the tower there is also a clearly organized collection of stabbing weapons, a mountain gun, armour and artistically decorated firearms. Cold, damp prison cells are as they looked between 1822 – 1948 when a part of the castle was used as a prison. There now you can experience a striking, authentic exhibition of the historic instruments of torture.

Narrow small streets of the city Loket with its multi-coloured houses underline courageous greatness of the Castle, give it a romantic touch. The romantic atmosphere is felt especially sharply in the evening when there is a representation of a classical opera at the open-air theatre against the illuminated Castle.