In recent years, the historic town of Cheb has added new artistic works to the range of its monuments. The spiritual father of the original project known as Cheb Niches is the director of Gallery 4 in Cheb. The artists from Gallery 4 approached prominent artists from all over the Czech Republic, and in 2005, ten of them took part of a seminar where they learned the details of the town’s history, of its streets and buildings, and of the original appearance of the historical centre. At the end of the event, the artists could choose a specific building that they could create a work for. n the first phase of this financially taxing project, four statuettes received the “green light”, and they were unveiled in September 2007. Immediately the next year, however, another four joined them, and in 2011, on the occasion of the 950th anniversary of the town founding, the remaining, yet orphaned, niches were filled. The cartouches of buildings were also filled.
Of course, the tour of the vitalised niches cannot be done without a walk, along which you can get to know a large part of the historic centre, a Municipal Heritage Reservation since 1981. The works in the niches will catch your attention with their often rather original interpretation, and we should also point outthat in most cases, they were created in a matter of months. So, while tilted your heads back to see the niches that are again filled, keep in mind that you are seeingthe best that Czech artists could contribute to beautify the Cheb streets and squares.
