Highlights Along the Way:
Mladá Boleslav – The largest city in the Lower Jizera region, famous for producing Škoda cars. You can explore a collection of vehicles at the Škoda Auto Museum. In the city center, discover architectural gems from various periods: Gothic (castle with regional museum, Templ Palace with a multimedia exhibit), Renaissance (Old Town Hall with observation tower, Brethren Church), Baroque (plague column, churches), and Art Nouveau (Municipal Theatre from 1909 with statues by Jan Štursa). Noteworthy modernist architecture by Jiří Kroha can also be found here. You can also visit the Jewish cemetery with 17th-century graves, including the marble tombstone of financier Jakub Baševi.
Michalovice – The ruins of the medieval Michalovice Castle sit atop a steep bluff above the Jizera River. Its tilted cylindrical tower, known as "Putna," is a local landmark. The scenic view from here was admired even by poet Karel Hynek Mácha in 1835. Nearby is a small settlement with the Church of St. Michael, built on Romanesque foundations, likely as old as the castle itself. A modern golf course lies adjacent.
Debř – A northwestern suburb of Mladá Boleslav with the understated yet historic Gothic core of St. Barbara’s Church. In the 18th century, a freestanding octagonal stone belfry with a shingled dome was added. The 1922 reinforced concrete bridge over the Jizera was named Masaryk Bridge in honor of the 75th birthday of the first Czechoslovak president.
Zvířetice – Castle ruins near Bakov nad Jizerou. Founded in the early 14th century by Zdislav of Lemberk, the castle was expanded into a Renaissance chateau and remained inhabited until a fire in 1720. The partially preserved cylindrical tower offers views of the surroundings. A unique malt house from the former castle brewery still stands in the lower ward.
Rečkov National Nature Monument – Located in the floodplain of the Rokytka stream 3 km northwest of Bakov, this area is protected for its rare thermophilic plant, the Siberian coltsfoot (Ligularia sibirica), and its wetland habitats rich in endangered species.
Klokočka – A romantic forest clearing with a baroque chapel of St. Stapin (also known as St. Procopius), built in 1728–30 by the Waldsteins near a spring of high-quality drinking water. A nearby Empire-style hunting lodge once served as a spa building. Don’t miss the wood carving, More Than the Eye Can See, added in 1998.
Maníkovice – A small village with a charming hunting lodge built by architect Mikuláš Raimondi for Count František Josef of Waldstein. The surrounding area features several intriguing wooden sculptures, including The Sun Cradle, Nest of Giant Wasps, The Inaccessible Net, The Three Kings, and Confrontation.
Klášter Hradiště nad Jizerou – This village is near a Cistercian monastery founded in the mid-12th century at the confluence of the Jizera and Zábrdka streams. The monastery was destroyed by the Hussites and later replaced by a Renaissance chateau, which was converted into a brewery in the 19th century. The brewery (originally founded in 1750) is still in operation today and offers tours, including parts of the former monastery (crypt, panoramic gallery, Gothic portal).
Mnichovo Hradiště – The city’s crowning jewel is its magnificent Baroque chateau, offering three tour circuits and home to the town museum. The Capuchin monastery, now a lapidarium, houses the tomb of Albrecht von Wallenstein, famed general of the Thirty Years' War. Other historic landmarks, such as the town hall and parish church, are located on or near the square. The elegant Empire house where left-wing politician Jan Šverma was born is also nearby. The town’s partially preserved Jewish quarter is another point of interest.
Ptýrov – A modern equestrian center offering facilities for riders and horses, accommodation, and various recreational activities.
Bakov nad Jizerou – A town renowned for its 18th-century bulrush craft. A museum in the local school preserves this tradition. Cultural landmarks include the late-Gothic Church of St. Bartholomew (1384, rebuilt in the 16th century) and the Baroque Church of St. Barbara with an altar by local sculptor Josef Jelínek, who also created the town's Holy Trinity column. The 1588 Renaissance cemetery gate is one of the town’s oldest monuments. A private milling museum opened here in 2011.
Kosmonosy – A town on the outskirts of Mladá Boleslav that flourished in the late 17th and early 18th centuries under the Černín family. The most striking monument is the Loreto Chapel, featuring a richly decorated replica of the Virgin Mary’s house (Santa Casa). Other landmarks include the Baroque Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross and Kosmonosy Castle, which stands below the church. The castle grounds house a park and museum.
Route map: https://mapy.cz/s/gacasutafu
