In 1953, August Tischer began collecting exhibits and material from Karlovy Vary and the Egerland for a museum in Wiesbaden on behalf of the Karlsbad Heimatbund.

In the same year, the city of Wiesbaden took over a sponsorship for Karlsbad. Two years later, the exhibits were transferred to the Wiesbaden Museum, where they were kept until 1980. In the following years, the collection changed location several times (including Welfenstraße 3) until it found its place at Oranienstraße 3 in 2011, where, in addition to the exhibition, the archive and library of the Karlsbad Archive and Museum are also located.

The collection includes textiles, glass and sacred objects relating to the spa and bathing industry as well as pictures of Karlovy Vary from the period around 1900. The Karlovy Vary Archive and Museum is run by the Heimatverband der Karlsbader e.V. (Karlovy Vary Heritage Association).