Bohemian Paradise is a beautiful Czech nature reserve, located 50 kilometers northeast of the capital. The main town is Turnov. This place is an example of a harmonious fusion of picturesque nature, amazing flora and fauna, with a variety of historical monuments: castles, ancient fortresses and ruins.
Since the 19th century, the region has been called Bohemian Paradise. The main attractions of the park are rocky sand towns, the Trosky fortress, located on two adjacent rocks, and Kost Castle. In the foothills of the Podkrkonoshe are deposits of precious stones: garnet, jasper, agate, amethyst, etc.
Since 1955, the territory has been protected as a nature reserve, and since 2005 it has the status of a European geopark.
Prachovské Rocks
Prachovskie rocks (Prachovsk ská ly) - one of the most popular places in the Czech Republic, the rocks got their name from the word "prach" (which means "dust") - because of the dust that covers everything around the rocks. They received the status of a reserve back in 1933 and at present it is carefully protected by the state. However, any tourist has the opportunity to admire the virgin and amazingly beautiful nature of the Prachovské Rocks.
The Prachov Rocks are located in the eastern part of the city of Czech Paradise (Č eský rá j) - a rock city that stands on the remains of a sandstone platform. The rocks located in the reserve have the most diverse and bizarre shapes. At the height of the season, a huge number of tourists come here to conquer this or that mountain.
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Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is located in the tourist town of Turnov in the north of the Czech Republic. He imagines architectural structure refers to the artistic and national-historical shrine of the Czech Republic. It is also included in the UNESCO heritage list. This temple is rightly called the temple of light. The main difference of this building is - large windows, which in those days were considered unprecedented in the Czech Republic. The architectural decoration of the cathedral combines the Cistercian emphasis on length and scarcity, as well as Gothic majesty.
The cathedral is distinguished by high vaults, smoothly turning into the medieval part in the choir area. Gothic stained-glass windows, the number and size of which pleasantly surprises, bring a certain comfort and tranquility to the temple. Near the choir and behind the altar one can find a passage with a crown of chapels.
The elegance of the whole device takes you to the above-ground expanses. Initially, the Gothic sanctuary, which was burnt down in the 15th century, was rebuilt into a cathedral in the Baroque Gothic style, this was done by the famous Czech designer Jan Blaža Santini. Every lover of gloomy Gothic can find an outlet here and enjoy the melancholy atmosphere of the building.
Coast Castle is located on a sandy cape in the Czech Paradise National Park. It was built in the form of a fortress in the first half of the 14th century in the Gothic style. There are two ponds around the castle: White and Black, which were built for the purpose of defense, since destroying the dam, the castle became difficult to access.
There is a legend according to which the origin of the name of the fortress is supposed. During an unsuccessful siege, the Hussite commander Jan Zizki exclaimed: "This castle is hard as a bone, and only a dog can eat it!"
Nowadays, the castle often becomes a film set for films and fairy tales. Festivals, fairs, knight fights and other cultural events are held here.
mouse hole
A mouse hole is a rocky corridor in the opening of the mountain Hruboskalsko - Hruboskalje, equipped with a ladder and leading to the top. The passage is so narrow that it has been compared to a mouse hole. Previously, this place was called the ravine of the gnomes, but among the people it is still called the staircase of angels.
The staircase was built on the initiative of Prince Ferdinand Kinsky, who had a manor in these places. Visitors to the Bohemian Paradise have loved the Mouse Hole since the 19th century, which is reminiscent of the stone plaque of the princess with the image of the crown, which was placed here in memory of the visit of Princess Vilamina Kinsky in 1849.
rock cities
Rock towns in the Bohemian Paradise are natural monuments, which are represented in the national park by groups of rocks of bizarre shapes. The largest and most famous of them: Prahovskie, Rough, Small Dry rocks.
The Prachov Rocks have had the status of a nature reserve since 1933. The rocky area brings together about 200 stone columns that are intertwined tourist routes, running both along the lower "corridors" of the rocks, and along their crests. There are many viewing platforms here. In this area are the ruins of the Parzhez fortress.
Rough rocks - a cluster of majestic rock "towers", reaching a height of 55 meters. According to various legends, a number of rocks were given names, for example, Dragon Rock, Lighthouse, Devil's Hand, Sahara. Steep canyons and valleys stretch between the columns, here is the rocky gorge of the Mouse Hole. One group of rocks is located in the middle of the Vezhitsky pond.
Small, Dry and Boretsky rocks are unusual in their shapes, here are stone gates, windows, overhanging rocks that were formed by ancient geological movements.
Hruba Skala Castle
Gruba Skala Castle got its name from the mountainous sandy massif on which it is located. This is one of the main attractions of the Czech Paradise National Park. The Renaissance castle Hruba Skala was founded in the middle of the 14th century, after a fire in the 18th century it was reconstructed in neo-Gothic style.
The castle is a building of three wings, inside of which a rectangular courtyard is formed. The parish church of St. Joseph, the priest's house and the smithy.
Currently, a hotel, a restaurant and a conference center are open inside the castle. Available for visitors Observation deck in the castle tower, from where you can enjoy a beautiful view of the surrounding countryside of the national park. IN summer time entertaining historical programs are organized on the territory of the park.
Brewery and tavern "Detenice"
In the tavern "Detinice" you can taste medieval dishes cooked on an open fire, which are eaten with your hands, and excellent black and light beer, which has been brewed here according to a unique recipe since the 18th century. Visitors are served by waiters dressed in medieval costumes. Medieval traditions and customs are observed here, so the staff is characterized by a harsh old Czech language. You need to be prepared for the fact that people here are not used to courtesies and can be quite harsh towards visitors - such is the spirit of the Middle Ages. Every day, except Sunday and Monday, Detinitsa hosts exciting shows. The audience is entertained by table dancers, comedians, swordsmen, fakir and beggars, and here you can also see the burning of witches and throwing knives at a living target. This tavern will undoubtedly appeal to thrill-seekers.
Czech Paradise (Bohemia, Czech Republic) - exact location, interesting places, inhabitants, routes.
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Perhaps, with the phrase “Czech Paradise”, many will have in their minds the image of a cozy pub somewhere in Hradcany, where they serve the most tender boar knee and, of course, the freshest amber beer in misted mugs. But “not by bread alone...”, and therefore, in addition to these immutable Czech pleasures, it is worth visiting the most beautiful nature reserve"Czech Paradise". A land where rocks of amazing shape and beauty rise above the forests, and on the tops of these rocks there are ancient strongholds covered in legends.
The Czech Paradise National Park is located relatively close to Prague, about 100 kilometers to the northeast. The word "paradise" is the best way to describe these places and beauties. But the history of this splendor is also interesting.
What to see
You can endlessly walk through the rocky labyrinths, canyons and stone "cities", going up and going down the stairs carved right in the stone or knocked together from wood. A traveler who has forgotten about laziness and climbed one of the observation platforms of natural origin will be rewarded - an inimitable view of the magnificent pine forests, rocks and towers scattered throughout national park castles.
One of the favorites among connoisseurs natural beauties places are considered "Drab rooms" - a whole conglomerate of rocks, canyons, caves, closely clinging to each other, and in shape somewhat reminiscent of fingers.
For fans of cycling, there are many hiking trails. Tired of walking on a hot summer day, you can refresh yourself by swimming in the purest Makhovy Lake and relaxing on it. sandy beach. And of course, as always in the Czech Republic, there are ancient castles and ruins of fortresses. The most famous of them is Trosky, the symbol of Bohemian Paradise. The fortress was mentioned for the first time in 1396, but scientists have reason to believe that the fortification was founded here much earlier. During the Hussite wars, the fortress was besieged more than once. In 1428, after the fire, only one tower survived - the Maiden's.
Translated from the Czech "Troski" means ruins. It received this name after the Thirty Years' War, when already at the end of the war in 1648 the Swedes destroyed the fortress. Today, restoration work is underway in the castle.
Despite the dilapidated state, the silhouettes of two towers rising on a formidable rock cannot but attract travelers. In addition to Troska, there are castles Hruba Rogozhets, Hruba Skala, Kamenice and the ruins of various obscure buildings in the area. On the way to national park you can visit the city of Turnov - the unofficial capital of the Bohemian Paradise. The city has a small but well-preserved Old Town.
Czech paradise
How to get there
You can get to Bohemian Paradise from Prague by bus from the Black Bridge metro station to Turnov, or by train from the main railway station to Turnov, the journey will take about 2 hours (about 100 kilometers). By car from Prague on the direct road number E65 (less than an hour and a half).
Because there was a navigator and the coordinates of all the places where we wanted to go, there were no problems with orientation at all, the navigator, nicknamed Anna for the voice acting, regularly brought where we asked.
At noon he brought us to a field with a picture of an airplane and no take-off runway. Point N 50 25’ 48’’ E 15 19’ 59’’ was taken from the website of the flying club.
Having paid 2700 crowns for a half-hour flight to the glorious uncle pilot and having specified the flight route on the map, we sat down in a tiny Tsesna. Interfering with Czech speech with Russian, the pilot dispersed the airplane right across the field, the strip from the rest of the field was separated by halves of yellow-painted barrels, right behind which everything was already plowed.
At first, we were just happy to fly, watching how the shadow of an airplane crosses fields and gardens, roads and forests, and then the pilot began to lay turns over
Sobotka and Gumprecht's hunting lodge 
hail Coast, 
Vales castle, 
above the rocks with the rock city Drabske svetnike, 
Wallenstein Castle, Friedstein Castle and Mala Rock, 
dry rocks, 
Turnov and Grub Rogozhets, 
some kind of house, which was not in our route 
above the Hruboskalsko rocky ridge and Hruba Skala castle, 
Trosky castle towers, 
a particularly steep circle fell over the Prachovské Rocks 
the concept of bottom turned out to be right :) 
flew over Yochin 
and sat on the same field, I still couldn’t understand how the plane didn’t bury its nose in the ground :)) I remembered about aerodynamics only after the plane came to a complete stop :))
The sensations from the flight were about the same as from the first dive - it’s so cool to fly, so there’s also wonderful beauty under you :)
By the way, a four-seater aircraft, two chairs with steering wheels in front and a sofa in the back, in general, it’s good that we didn’t have a third passenger, although it cost us more, but it was worth it :) and even later we bought the DVD "Czech Paradise from a height bird's eye view", and now we can not only talk about it, but also show :))
We dined at Jicine, in a pirate restaurant behind the fountain, Mariska especially liked it - she ordered three fish, and I just could not wait to rush further.
We stopped at Touristka Hata - the place from where the marked routes along the Prachov Rocks begin, we decided that we should look at such beauty in the morning and not on a full stomach :) and drove to the Trosky castle. The two Trosky towers followed us throughout our trip to Bohemian Paradise, it seems that they are visible from everywhere :) One ambush in April, the castle is open only on weekends and we just walked around it, taking pictures against the backdrop of flowering trees and grazing cows.
Next, Gruba Skala Castle and "Mouse Holes" around it were waiting for us. But on the way, we stumbled upon another wonderful place by the lake, where the rocks stick out of the moss and the pines hide it all from above, such a primitive beauty, not killed by a man. There we dispersed - trying to stop the moment and immortalize it in digital.
We reached the Rough Rock just before sunset, took a picture of the castle and climbed the local bell tower, which offers a gorgeous view of the rocks (the panorama is waiting in the wings). In the same place under the castle - "Mouse Holes" a small route among the rocks, which ends on a rock opposite the castle, in the windows of which the sunset burned out. Beautiful, charming, but we wandered back in complete darkness. could not tear themselves away from the local beauty - pines, rocks and sunset in the windows of the castle - romance and nothing more, the princess in the window was not enough.
At night, it was not scary to break, so they caught up with the house in an hour.
In the morning we had a replacement car, they still drove us a sky blue one)) Aigo, so instead of the Prachovskie Rocks, which are farthest from the highway, we went to the Walesov castle. This is the closest castle of the Bohemian Paradise from Prague. We arrived at a small oval castle on a rock after eleven, we walked around the castle quickly, but the rock city behind it went around for a long time and with childish delight, finding more and more new cave apartments of different layouts :)
A little tired and hungry, in search of food, we drove past the Drabsky Svetlitsa to Turnov, where we dined nicely in a Mexican restaurant, at the same time examined the early Gothic church from the outside, as usual, Stalinism in architecture nervously smokes in the corner in front of such monumentalism (did you understand what he said?). This is such a proportional huge colossus, which not every fotik will take a picture of. Impressive.
Unfortunately, much later we learned about the museum-exhibition of pomegranate and jewelry, it’s beautiful in the pictures, it’s a pity that we didn’t see it live.
Full and satisfied, we went to Friedstein Castle, another wonderful castle that we enjoyed only from the outside. "will open in May." A little upset, we called the door on the tower "Princess Porch" and drove towards the Small Rock. This is such a crest of a rocky ridge, one of the highest points in the area. At the top there is an observation deck, a temple and a rocky town, apparently a monastic one.
True, the rocky town, like the church, is also closed, so we just stomped up to the rocks, on the way we met ruins and an arch half-covered with earth - it seems that Tolkien could have come up with his famous books here, the scenery around is the same, and it seemed that now eternally arguing would come out an elf with a dwarf, well, or a crowd of Tolkienists at worst :))
Then Marishka ran ahead, and I climbed onto a rock - an unmeasured number of people had already climbed there and there were hand and foot hooks in the soft rocks. Remembering childhood, you sit astride a rock like on a horse, above you the wind and sky, below you rocks and pines -aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Then, quite by accident, I climbed into a closed rocky town, wandered through the caves, stood on the observation deck - it is slightly higher than the neighboring ridge on which I was sitting, but those feelings are not in sight - you just stand on the top of the mountain with a railing in a circle, no adrenaline :)) there, among the rocks, there were a couple of memorial stones, one of them "To William our Shakespeare" :) it's a little surprising why not Tolkien, in my opinion it would be more appropriate :)
Tired and satisfied, we went home, to Drabskie Svetlitsy, another rock city, we decided not to stop by, remembering yesterday’s wanderings through the absolutely dark night forest, in which, by the way, hares and roe deer ran, I’m generally silent about squirrels - quite such a living forest :) and from the cliff I didn't want to turn around in the dark...
On Wednesday, we were not dependent on anyone, the car was already there and there was no need to change it, so by nine we were already in the small and half-asleep town of Solodka,
intending to call in the Coast and go further to the Prakhovy Rocks. But we couldn’t drive through Solodka just like that - like in any local town, there is always a square with a town hall, and for sure there is a tsukarna, and we are without breakfast and even without coffee. And here is such a wonderful opportunity - coffee with a "view of the town hall." From time to time it was a prerequisite "with a view of the town hall", which certainly improves digestion, :) but the truth slightly increases the time to look for a tavern... age and an aunt with a granddaughter, no one is in a hurry. Everything is as it should be in small towns :)
From the town you can see the roof of the Humberht hunting castle, an ancient house with the inscription "Museum of Folk Life" and, as always, a monumental Rennes Gothic church with stained-glass windows, a square with a fountain and a town hall, and a hundred meters from the square the town ends. :) Goodbye cute town, we liked the coffee. =)
We did not find Grad Kost the first time, despite the GPS, but this is normal as it turned out later - it was conceived as an invisible castle - this is karma, nothing else. =) But on the way we found another magnificent view of the Troska towers, this time against the backdrop of a train. =) Wherever you go, beauty is everywhere.
Especially in the Prachovské Rocks, where we went instead of looking for Costa.
Arriving at the previously checked point to the Turistka hut, we set off to wander along the routes, jumping from one to another, because. not a single route, even the longest one, covered all the beauties. Although perhaps it's just from greed, "so what, maybe I'm greedy, but with all my heart." Three and a half hours flew by unnoticed, almost in the same breath. I always especially liked pines and rocks, including for this I went to Croatia-Montenegro, and here in the Czech Paradise everything is as it should be, I imagined such rocks in my childhood reading fairy tales about gnomes, such a forest Tolkien described:) These places are the most fabulous I have seen, gnomes could really live here, mining silver and rubies in the local soft rocks. Perhaps this forest is fraught with much more secrets than can be imagined based only on official history. =)
We still found Grad Coast by checking the GPS point and the map and realizing the error. The castle is located among three rocks overgrown with pines, and until you drive straight up you will see the figs. As it became clear from the tour, this was the intention of the first owner of the castle, who did not have much money for a large and proud castle - he made a small mink, but with a wall and a tower. The castle is generally so-so, especially considering the legend, but inside there is an excellent collection of firearms from a musket to an automatic pistol, several fine examples of swords and sabers, cuirasses and helmets. And the beams of the castle, soaked in bull's blood for strength, last time in 1984 look great despite the centuries-old age. At the end of the tour, they showed the "black" kitchen with a lot of reconstructed utensils and kitchen appliances, so the female part was also indescribably delighted and took pictures with a frying pan in their hands with pleasure :) The kitchen is really positive, unlike its original state =)
Not finding a worthy point for shooting, they piled up for dinner at Rough Rocks. It was a mistake, the restaurant on the square was already closing, and the hotel one was liked only by its interior...
Bezdez was left for the most delicious - a proud early Gothic castle, resembling a dragon lying on top of an extinct hill. With a tower, a temple, a wall and a gate, and I want to write everything with capital letter. Climbing up to the castle, the great battles of the past flash before you, you don’t need to have insight - just a good fantasy and books read in childhood - everything is very "Gothic", even small lancet windows with stained-glass windows lost on the huge canvas of the dark wall of the temple.
The parking lot is located at the very foot of the mountain and a winding rocky road leads up, which previously had a wall and three gates. The gates grow from the mountain to this day, but the wall remained only at the third gate - at the temple itself. In April, the castle is closed and deserted (we were alone), but a little desolation and abandonment adds gothic and romantic. =) From the top there is a magnificent view of the valley flooded with the setting sun, the lake sparkles not far away, and the entire top of the mountain is covered with cherry blossoms.
A worthy castle to complete a three-day walk through the Czech paradise, even though it is outside the latter :)
Freeze a moment, you are beautiful =)
Judging by the castles they examined, the Czechs were very fond of using rocks to strengthen the defense of the castle - they simply continued to build up the rock to the state of the castle, with the Friedstein castle and the Trosky towers they did it especially well.
After watching the DVD, I want to go back (I want to go back just like that), but after the DVD I want to ride a bike there for a couple of weeks, since there are an unmeasured number of special routes for this, through rocks and forests - from castle to castle ... And I also wildly liked the scouts there playgrounds where little tarzans are taught, I desperately lacked this in my childhood.
EVERYTHING I liked from the sightseeing, there was not a single place that we regretted that we had come and spent time, on the contrary, I wanted to walk more and longer, especially in the rocks ...
And the trip in April had its crazy pluses - we didn’t get into some castles, but we walked around a blooming and deserted paradise. There were only a few tourists before the season, the only exception was in the castle of Rough Rocks - there is now a hotel, they live there.
Author.
Bohemian Paradise is a nature reserve with an area of 181.5 square kilometers, located in the northeastern part of the Czech Republic between the cities, Mnichovo-Gradiste and. Since 2005, this region has been considered the center of the UNESCO European Geopark.
Harmony of nature and architecture
Hundreds of millions of years ago, the territory of the Bohemian Paradise was seabed covered with volcanoes. Over time, under the influence of the sun and wind, a unique landscape has formed here, consisting of deep gorges, bizarre rocks, intricate caves, crystal clear lakes, dense forests and flowering meadows. People also put their hand to this splendor - they built castles, fortresses, citadels and founded cities.
The modern panorama of the Bohemian Paradise is a spectacle of unique beauty, which is a harmonious combination of the majesty of nature and man-made masterpieces. The reserve is home to many species of animals and plants: eagle owls, herons, bats, moufflons, roe deer and so on. Of great interest is the geological structure of the region: there are deposits of the rarest minerals and precious stones.
Czech paradise - perfect place For active tourism. There are hundreds of routes for hiking and cycling in the reserve. Having overcome a difficult path through rocky labyrinths and stairs carved in stone, you can get to one of the observation platforms and enjoy the unique view, and then refresh yourself in Makhovoe Lake and relax on its beach. There are many in the reserve and entertainment centers environmental orientation, including for children.
rock wonders
Among natural resources Of the Bohemian Paradise, one should especially highlight the rocky cities, which are characterized by the nobility of the Gothic, the frivolity of the Baroque, and the pretentiousness of the Rococo.
The main attraction of the region is the ancient sandstone platform, dissected by canyons, valleys and cliffs. Here you can find many pillar-shaped rocks with corners, crevices and peaks, as well as dozens of viewing platforms. In one of the rocks, the Parez castle is carved.
Another popular tourist attraction is the Rough Rocks - a group of stone columns over 50 meters high, which are interspersed with steep canyons and picturesque valleys. Some clusters of rocks have their own names: "Sahara", "Lighthouse", "Mouse Hole" and so on. Sandstone pillars “growing” out of the lake look very unusual.
The pearl of the Bohemian Paradise is the Small Rocks, the Dry Rocks and the Vranovsky Ridge formed from the remains of an ice block. No less attractive are the Beseditsky rocks with labyrinths and the Bozhkovsky caves with the largest cave in the country. underground lake. The Boretsky rocks with unusual stone gates and windows, as well as dozens of other natural phenomena, are also impressive.
architectural masterpieces
Bohemian Paradise is worth visiting not only for lovers of ecotourism, but also for connoisseurs of architectural beauties. In local rocks and cities located a large number of historical buildings.
The generally recognized symbol of the region are the ruins located near the town of Rivne-pod-Troski. This original structure, dating from the 14th century, consisted of two towers called "Baba" and "Virgo", erected on the peaks of two tall rocks and united by a fortress wall. Today, as a result of fires and warriors, only ruins remain from them, from the tops of which a stunning view of the Bohemian Paradise opens.
Not far from Jicin, you can see another famous attraction of the reserve - stone gothic, built in the XIV century. For several centuries of its existence, this impregnable stronghold practically did not succumb to reconstruction, thanks to which it has survived to this day in its original form. Now there is a museum in the castle, and festivals are held.
In addition, in the Bohemian Paradise you can visit the Hruba Skala castle, built on a mountain top, the former nest of robbers - Wallstein Castle, the oval hunting castle Gumprecht, Hruby Rogozes - the castle in Turnov, which has the richest interiors and an unusual park, baroque palaces in Jicin and Mnichovo- Hradiste, as well as many, many other interesting places.
Bohemian Paradise is a nature reserve located in the northeastern part of the Czech Republic. This area has earned special attention from tourists due to its amazing landscape. A relatively small area, generously endowed with sharp canyons, wonderful valleys, velvet forests. A magnificent addition to the Bohemian Paradise is the river Jihlava and Lake Mahovo.
The main attractions of the reserve are rock cities formed from sandstones. Some rocks have names such as Mouse Hole or Dragon Rock. Many legends are associated with these places in the Czech Republic.
The most famous rocky town, which is loved by both ordinary travelers and cyclists and climbers, is the Hruboskalsky Reserve. The local landscapes, filled with stone canyons and amazing valleys, simply cannot leave anyone indifferent. East End This area is filled with another natural attraction of the Bohemian Paradise, which is called the Prachov Rocks. Huge stone columns just grow out of the ground, forming various gorges. There are many hiking trails that lead to local viewing platforms. Of greatest interest to guests is the observation deck, which is located in the castle of Parzhez in the middle of cut rocks. The next sightseeing attraction of the Bohemian Paradise is the Plakanek Valley, where the Kost Castle, built in the Gothic style, is located. Against the backdrop of huge rocks and dense forests, it seems quite small. But the most visited area of the Bohemian Paradise is the valley, which is divided into parts by the river Jizyra. Its location is the district of Maloskalsk. On one side of the river, just from under the water, huge stone formations rise, and on the opposite side there is a dry ridge, which climbers have chosen.
In the Czech Paradise, there are also the Přigraz Rocks, where the so-called “Drab Rooms” are located - which are a collection of rocks with their own gorges. Lonely stone hills have their own names, including "Minaret", "Horse" and others.
The most high point The reserve is Mount Kozakov, where a very popular observation deck is located.
This area is truly a paradise, because here, among the richness of nature, you can arrange unforgettable vacation for every taste. In the summer, park guests are happy to make bicycle rides, are engaged in mountaineering or picking mushrooms and berries. Here you can ride a boat, fly a hang glider or just lie down on the wonderful beach of Lake Makhova.
IN winter time in the Bohemian Paradise wonderful ski resorts, where the ski route can be diversified with an exciting excursion program.
