Bohemian Paradise – UNESCO Geopark
The Bohemian Paradise is geographically demarcated by a borderline connecting Mladá Boleslav, Mnichovo Hradiště, Hodkovice nad Mohelkou, the hill Kopanina, Železný Brod, Semily, Nová Paka, Jičín, Kopidlno, Sobotka a Dolní Bousov. This picturesque area borders on foot-hills of the Giant Mountains in the east and is marked off by the belt of the Jizerské Mountains and the Giant Mountains in the north. In this romantic area, that is situated on the middle part of the Jizera river, variety of nature beauties is bound with rich historical buildings: castles, chateaux and folk architecture. Exactly it was the reason why the guests of the Sedmihorky spa started to call it the Bohemian Paradise already in the 19th century.
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The extraordinary diversity of the landscape with characteristic sandstone rock towns, fauna and flora was the main reason for proclaiming the region the first protected area in the then republic (1955). When considering the diversity of the landscape and the occurrence of preserved and engangered biological species, deep forests as well as systems of ponds on water streams and surrounding small areas of wet ground with ecological systems are of big importance. The unique diversity of the relief is also made by characteristic volcanic effusions which form the dominants of the area (Trosky, Kozákov, Mužský, Vyskeř etc.).
There are numerous finding places of agates, amethysts, jaspers, chalcedonies and other kinds of precious stones in the volcanic rocks. The treatment of these precious stones has been connected with the history of the city of Turnov for several centuries. Turnov has been the natural, economical and cultural centre of this area and nowadays it is called the heart of the Bohemian Paradise. People living in this area have been known for their craftsmanship. The glass products of Železný Brod, wooden toys and moulds of wood carvers from Semily, rusks produced in Lomnice nad Popelkou as well as garnet jewels and ground precious stones made in Turnov found their way to the whole world and become successful. Welcome, therefore, in the region of good people, natural beauties, castles, museums and traditional craft production.
Maloskalsko
Malostransko is among the best-known and most-popular rock formations in the Český Ráj. The place is known for various pseudo-karst formations and admirable ragged rocks, such as the Suché Skály or the Vranovský Hřeben. There are other attractive rock formations in the area, for example, the rock labyrinth called the Chléviště and the lookout rocks named the Sokol and the Kalich. In addition, there are preserved ruins of castles, e.g. Frýdštejn, Vranov, Zbirohy, etc.
The Czech Republic’s Largest Rock Castle
The rock castle Vranov, currently better known as Pantheon, rises above the Jizera river on a steep cliff of Malá Skála, only 5 miles from Turnov. The monument is over 1,300 ft long and is considered to be the most complex rock castle in Bohemia. Vranov was established as a gothic fortress in the 15th century. Since then, the castle has changed owners many times, being owned over the years by the Wartemberg, Smiřický and Wallenstein families, among others. František Zachariáš Römisch, one of its owners, renovated Vranov after 1802 into the Pantheon, as a memorial to outstanding people of his time. He built the well-known chapel-shaped summer house, and added tens of headstones and memorial tablets into the sandstone rock massive. For this reason, Vranov-Pantheon combines the history of a medieval castle and the spirit of the European Romanticism of the 19th century.
Kalich - Chléviště, rock labyrinth
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The rock labyrinth named Kalich – Chléviště is situated near the village of Besedice, about 1.5 km to the southeast of Malá Skála. During the period of opposition against reformation, the rocks became a refugee of hunted non-Catholics. In memory of this part of the history, a chalice and the date 1634 was carved in the rock. Among other interesting elements, you come across the V. Sadovský Cave); the path in the rock gap will take you to Krocinovský Cave.
In the middle of five gorges, there is a cave with a symbolic chapel that was used by the Czech Brethren. Another interesting element is the rock formations named Želva, Medvěd and Hroch (Turtle, Bear and Hippo). The labyrinth is marked with a yellow trail (in part the trail is carved in the rocks). The romantic rock group is situated in the sandstone at the western slope of Sokol Hill. On its top, there is a natural lookout point that offers views in particular to the north.
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