Aš
Aš (; ) is a town in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 13,000 inhabitants. Administrative parts Villages of Dolní Paseky, Doubrava, Horní Paseky, Kopaniny, Mokřiny, Nebesa, Nový Žďár and Vernéřov are administrative parts of Aš. Geography Aš is located about northwest of Cheb, on the border with Germany. With the neighbouring municipalities Hranice, Krásná, Podhradí and Hazlov, it lies in the westernmost area of the Czech Republic known as the Aš Panhandle. This area is a salient surrounded by German territory in the east, north and west. It lies in the historical Egerland region. Aš is situated in the Fichtel Mountains. The highest point of Aš and of the whole Czech part of the Fichtel Mountains is Háj, at . The upper course of the White Elster river shortly after its source flows across the central part of the municipal territory, outside the town proper. History 11th–18th centuries Previously uninhabited hills and swamps, the town of Aš was founded in the early 11th century by German colonists descending from the Bavarian march of the Nordgau in the course of the Ostsiedlung. So far, previous Slavic settlements in the area are not