Tourism and trip tips
Valdická Gate, square in Jičín
Map , 1km, suitable for an evening walk or trips with a stroller
Wallenstein Square is the main square in Jičín. It has a rectangular shape and is oriented approximately according to the cardinal points. The square is dominated by the Renaissance Valdická Gate, the chateau and the Baroque church of St. James the Greater. There is also a Baroque Marian column, a fountain with a statue of Amphitrite from the 19th century, a coronation fountain from 1836 and, last but not least, Renaissance and Baroque burgher houses. There is an arcade around the entire perimeter of the square. The city center, including the square, is a city monument reserve.
Linden Avenue
Map , 50m, suitable for hiking, running
Wallenstein’s Alley connects the town of Jičín with the settlement of Sedličky, where Wallenstein’s summer palace Lodžie is located. The alley runs along the road leading from Jičín to Lomnice nad Popelkou. The alley was founded at the request of Duke Albrecht of Wallenstein in 1631. It leads from Jičín to Wallenstein’s Loggia, a summer palace in a park called Libosad. The four-row alley, 1825 m long, was planted with 1152 small-leaved lime trees with a distance of 6 m, currently the alley consists of only 986 trees. Even these trees are not original from the time of Wallenstein, as the alley has been continuously renewed by planting and the average age of the trees is around 100 years. The Lime Tree Alley is only 50 meters away from the reSTART hotel.
Fairytale dragon in Jičín
Map , 1km, suitable for an evening walk or trips with a stroller.
The Iron Dragon, which is the work of Jiří Kmošek, a graduate of the Turnov Art School (pictured), has finally landed on a new basalt plinth in the Jičín pedestrian zone, where it had been attracting the attention of passers-by for several weeks before as part of a temporary location.
Wallenstein Loggia
Map , 1.5km, suitable for trips with children, strollers, short bike trips, lovers of architecture and history of Wallenstein
Čeřovka Lookout Tower
Map , 500m, suitable for trips with children, photography, views of the surroundings
The lookout tower was built by the Jičín regional governor Hansgirg, and was financed by donations from wealthy townspeople. As the inscription carved on the building says: “Built by the willingness of generous donors, Milohlídka, for the relief of the needy, for the delight of the beautiful”, the builder of the lookout tower was not only concerned with the lookout itself, but also with providing work and sustenance to the poor. However, in the following years, the lookout tower was not used much and was even in danger of collapsing. Therefore, a massive wall was built at the end of the 19th century to protect the tower.
Rumcajs Cave
Map , 6km, suitable for hiking, running
Rumcajsova cave is still decorated as if someone really lived there. The bed is made, there is a snack for Cipísk, a flower for Manka and a jug of water on the table. You can reach the cave from Prachov via Přivýšina along the blue or green tourist trail towards the village of Brada. Or you can park directly under the ruins of Brada castle and from there it is a short walk along the blue trail.
Jičín Castle
Map , 1km, suitable for history lovers
Rumcajs’s shoe shop
Map , 6km, suitable for trips with children, discovering the fairytale Jičín
Visitors to Jičín are interested in the place where the shoemaker Rumcajs lived, a fairy-tale character from the books of authors Václav Čtvrtek and Radek Pilař. But we can now fulfill such a wish: if you want to visit Rumcajs’s household today from the time when he was not yet a famous fairy-tale robber, but an honest craftsman from Jičín.
Prachov Rocks
Map , 8km, suitable for hiking trips, nature trips (families with children – recommended without strollers), if you want to visit the largest landmarks of Bohemian Paradise
Prachovské skály are a rock grouping of sandstone formations of various shapes, located approximately 5 to 7 km northwest of the city of Jičín, a nature reserve, part of the Bohemian Paradise Protected Landscape Area and a popular tourist destination. Visit one of the most visited tourist destinations in the Czech Republic.
Castle Ruins
Map , 8km, ideal for a bike trip if you want to visit the biggest landmarks of Bohemian Paradise
The bizarre ruins of a Gothic castle resembling devil’s horns sticking out of the ground were built at the end of the 14th century and became one of the symbols of the Bohemian Paradise. The construction of the castle on two steep basalt cliffs made Troske an impregnable castle. During the tour, visitors have the opportunity to learn about the history of the castle and climb the “Babu” tower and the lookout below the “Panna” tower, which offer a unique view of the surrounding landscape.
Castle and chateau Staré Hrady
Map , 16km, ideal for trips with children even in bad weather
Like every castle, Staré Hrady is also surrounded by legends. The most mysterious one is about the Templars. It is said that they were the original owners of the Stará fortress. They brought life-size statues of the twelve apostles from expeditions to eastern countries. They had them buried here and walled up the diggers alive so that the hiding place would not be revealed. When the Templars later tried to move the treasure, they ended up with a terrible death, fleeing from the ghosts of the dead. And so, according to legend, will anyone who would want to seize the treasure, because the souls of the martyrs watch over the treasure to this day. Another version of the legend is that these were not statues of the apostles themselves, but huge nuggets of gold, which, when positioned correctly, open a gate to space-time.
Kost Castle and Plakánek Valley
Map , 19km, ideal for trips with children, history, bike trips
Kost Castle is considered one of the most important Gothic castles in the Czech Republic. The origin of the castle dates back to the 14th century, when Beneš of Vartemberk had a small wooden fortress with a defensive stone tower built on a rocky promontory in the middle of three valleys. A popular legend says that the castle was named Kost during the time when Jan Žižka besieged it and, after unsuccessfully conquering the castle, declared that it was as strong as a bone and that it supposedly belonged to a dog. However, the truth remains that the founder of the castle himself, Count Beneš, signed the Sobotka foundation charter with the Latin surname Benesius de Costa, which the Czechs distorted when reading it and renamed it Beneš z Kosti.
Bozkov dolomite caves
Map , 35km, suitable for trips with children, summer cooling off, if you’ve had enough of castles and chateaux
The Bozkov dolomite caves are the only accessible caves in northern Bohemia. Thanks to their rich decoration, however, they have no problem attracting lovers of the underground kingdom from much more distant lands. The largest underground lake in Bohemia is located here. Due to their uniqueness, these caves were declared a National Natural Monument.
Hruby Rohozec Castle
Map , 27km, suitable for cycling trips, learning about history, trips to nature
The Hrubý Rohozec State Chateau, surrounded by a small English park, offers its visitors a tour of more than thirty richly furnished rooms, which previously served as representative and living rooms for members of the French-born Des Fours Walderode count family.
Ruins of Pecka Castle
Map , 24km, ideal for historical trips
Pecka Castle is the only accessible building in the entire region of the central Podkrkonoše and Krkonoše. It attracts not only with its beautiful surrounding landscape with unique views of the Krkonoše ridges, but also with two sightseeing tours focused on the authentic history of the castle and the town of Pecka.
Dvur Kralove Zoo
Map , 40km, in bad weather you can also do the safari in your car
At Safari Park Dvůr Králové, you can experience true African experiences – a real safari among free-roaming herds of animals and the only Lion Safari in Central Europe. A walk will then take you among the largest group of giraffes kept outside of Africa or to the rhinos, for which the Dvůr Králové Safari Park is famous. While there, you will be able to admire the amazing art and culture of the dark continent and be carried away by the captivating rhythms of African music.
Zoo Bread
Map , 41km, smaller zoo, designed especially for the youngest visitors
Chleby Zoo was founded on June 5, 1997. It was created on the basis of the previous collection of animals of the Franek couple. As the collection expanded to include attractive exotic species (red-tailed amazon, hyacinth macaw, Indian bicorn, spotted toucan, etc.), it attracted increasing public interest. People often came to admire the rare pheasants, cranes, parrots, toucans… The small space of the garden of the family house was no longer suitable, and it was necessary to look for a new place with the aim of creating a full-fledged zoo.
