The best running trails around lake Medard

James the Greater (the Latin 'major' is not translated as 'great' in English), to whom this church/chapel in ___ was dedicated, belongs, together with his brother, to the closest circle of Jesus' disciples. In his version of the "Good News" (this is the meaning of the word "gospel"), the Evangelist Mark enumerates a list of the apostles: "James, the son of Zebedee, and John, the brother of James—to whom he called the Boanerges, which means sons of thunder" (Mark 3:17). They are said to have had very temperamental characters, but were faithful followers of Jesus Christ, in whom they recognized the promised Messiah. According to the Acts of the Apostles, James was executed for his faith. His tomb in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia (Spain), is one of the most famous and important pilgrimage destinations in the world.

A visit to the old town of Sokolov is also worthwhile.

The bridge leads over the Ohře river, the main road and the railway line. It connects the Antonín Arboretum park with Lake Medard.

The old town mile is actually called "Old Square" (Staré námesti) and is the historical centre of Sokolov. At the eastern end you will find the Church of St. James the Greater, at the western end the Church of the Franciscan Monastery, which is dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua. In between are the Old Town Hall and the Marian Column, as well as the Jubilee Fountain and the Falconer's Fountain. And of course lots of shops, cafés and restaurants.

The Jubilee Fountain, also known as the Schram Fountain, on the Old Square was unveiled on December 11, 1898 on the 50th anniversary of Franz Joseph I's accession to the throne. The important Schram family of entrepreneurs contributed financially to the fountain's construction, hence its second name in popular parlance. For years, the fountain was stored in the depot of the city museum until it was completely restored and returned to its original location near the church as part of the extensive reconstruction of the Old Square. It was re-inaugurated - almost a hundred years after its first inauguration - on October 27, 1998 on the occasion of the celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Republic. A bronze bowl with a statue of three putti in a pyramid composition sits enthroned on a granite base. The work by the German sculptor Cuno von Uechtritz-Steinkirch is intended to symbolize the dominion of the waters.

The original old church from the 13th century (probably a simple and plain building) was destroyed by the Saxon army in May 1632. The new building around the still preserved torso of the tower, which began shortly afterwards, was in the Renaissance style, and another reconstruction in 1680/1681 under Jan Hartvik Nostice (builder of the castle and monastery) in the Baroque style. Originally a deanery church, St. James was elevated to the status of an archdeaconry church in 1672. The Baroque church is a single-nave church with a tower, which was built using forced labor by serfs. The interior of the church is mostly Baroque. Towards the end of the Second World War, an aerial bomb hit not far from the Eger Bridge. The blast wave destroyed all the church windows except one: the stained glass window of the Sacred Heart of Jesus behind the main altar above the statue of St. James, the patron saint of the church.

On April 2, 1699, the mayor and archdeacon of Sokolov signed a contract with the Cheb sculptor Vilém Felsner (Wilhelm Fellsner) to build the column. The agreed price was 600 guilders, and the column was erected in 1701. A storm on January 17, 1955 tore down the top statue of the Virgin Mary and the statue shattered. Completely illogically and contrary to the iconography, it was replaced by a stone ball. In the years 1994-1996, the Marian column was restored. A copy of the statue of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, created by the sculptor Igor Kalina, was placed on the column.

The Old Town Hall served as the seat of the city administration until the 1950s. After reconstruction between 1994 and 1995, it became the representative headquarters of the brown coal mining company Sokolovská uhelná. The building was built around 1540. During the siege of the city by the Saxon army in 1632, it burned down. In 1794, lightning struck the town hall tower. The tower was rebuilt, but then destroyed by fire in 1873 and not rebuilt after that. It was rebuilt in the classicist style in 1835 and 1836. The building also served as a district court, governor's office, district captain's apartment, city archives, stables, dance hall and prison. The historic town hall has retained many features of its original appearance of the so-called Saxon Renaissance. The Renaissance roof has also been preserved in its original form.