[3] Jirkov lies in close proximity to the city of Chomutov, with which it forms a conurbation.

Jirkov was established as a colonization village on the Czech-Saxon border in the second half of the 13th century.

[4] From 1938 to 1945, Jirkov was annexed by Nazi Germany and administered as part of the Reichsgau Sudetenland.

Jirkov is the terminus and starting point of the railway line from/to Lužná via Chomutov.

In 1687 and 1688, the baroque sculptor Jan Brokoff carved statues, fountains and other works at the castle.

Max Egon Hohenlohe, the last owner, tried to prevent the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany through diplomatic negotiations when he allowed the meeting of the British mediator in the dispute between Germany and Czechoslovakia over the Sudetenland, Lord Runciman, with the leader of the Sudeten German Party, Konrad Henlein, at the castle in August 1938.

After World War II, Prince Max Egon was expropriated by the communist government.