Tips for trips > The Bohemian Paradise

The charming unique landscape called since the middle of 19th century The Bohemian Paradise is situated in the old Czech part of the north-eastern Bohemia.

This country along the banks of the river Jizera is place of unrepeatable nature beauties and historical human cr eations – castles and architecture made of logs by mostly unknown carpenters. From the archaeological and geological point of view the area of the Bohemian Paradise is limited as the area of the districts Bela, Mnichovo Hradiste, Cesky Dub, Turnov, Sobotka and the natural formation Prachovske skaly (rocks) near Jicin.The heart of this country is Turnov – called „the Town of Precious Stones“. If you would like to be informed about this town, you must go to see local „Museum of the Bohemian Paradise“.

Not far from this town we can see other historical gems: castles Valdstejn, Hruba Skala, Hruby Rohozec and Sychrov (originally built in Baroque style, later rebuilt in romantic Gothic style).The western gate of the Bohemian Paradise is Mnichovo Hradiste with a castle and with the lapidarium in the St. Ann's chapel and in the St. Three King's Church where we also can find Albrecht's of Wallenstein tomb.Million of years had elapsed before the beauties have been sh aped. During secondary mountains sandstone formations were formed on the bottom of a shallow Cretaceous sea. They are called rock-towns and belong to the most romantic places in Middle Europe (e.g. Hruba Skala-rocks, Betlem-rocks, Klokoci-rocks and the rock-town with the renowned Drabske svetnicky (rooms), Prachov-rocks, Bora near Rovensko etc.). And above these rocks there are conspicuous proofs of tectonic activity at the beginning of younger tertiary epoch. Up to sky rising Trosky has become the symbol of the Bohemian Paradise and together with the mountain Rip – the symbol of the whole Bohemia. On the top a feudal lord Cenek of Vartemberk got a castle buil t in the 14th century on two basalt hills. Later these hills have been called Panna (virgin) and Baba (old woman).

There are another similar formations in the area of the Bohemian Paradise – called Sokol, Muzsky, Vysker, Velis, Zebin etc.Jicin, the town chosen by notorious army commander Albrecht of Wallenstein (Valdstejn) for his main residence, is the eastern gate to the Bohemian Paradise. The south most boundary marks unlimited by towns Knezmost, Dolni Bousov, Liban with the near castle Stare Hrady. In this part we can visit Sobotka, a small town the cultural level of which is worthy of mentioning. A picturesque tiny castle Humprecht built according to the Italian pattern in the center of a beautiful park in the 17th century, towers above the town. It is not a long way to walk from this place to the castle Kost which belongs to the most majestic and well preserved castles in Bohemia. We follow the park in so called Plakanek valley and the castle (built in the 14th century) appears suddenly in front of us.