The Jizera Mountains will simply take your breath away with their scattered peaks, forests of spruce and beech, tall cliffs, picture-perfect valleys, mountain villages and countless chapels, churches and cottages, which locals have watched over for centuries. Come and discover the history of the Czech Republic’s northernmost mountain range and leave with experiences even more memorable than the glint of the local costume jewellery.
While exploring the Jizera Mountains, every so often you’ll come across the past and present of the region’s glassmaking tradition. The first glassworks appeared here as early as the 14th century. Over the years the costume jewellery trade also prospered, its good name now bolstered by the Daniel Swarovski brand that originated in the area.
Textbook terrain for any activity
The Jizera Mountains provide the perfect landscape for bike rides, hikes and even wheelchair excursions. Many kilometres of purpose-built and reinforced trails will get you to your destination, passing numerous granite peaks and peat bogs, crystal-clear brooks and rock formations along the way. Countless slopes generate many a forest vista and there are superb viewing towers and lookout points everywhere. You can follow a trail from Bedřichov, via the Šámalova refuge and Kristiánov to the Krásné Máří lookout point. For exciting mountain bike rides head for the singl trek pod Smrkem. The Jizera Mountains are also a place of numerous viewing towers; climb the fairy-tale Štěpánka tower or the new tower atop Mount Smrk.
A mountain with a cap!
No visit to the Jizera Mountains would be complete without ascending Ještěd. This dominant feature of the entire area is unmissable in every sense. The hotel at the top elegantly continues the line of the mountain and is one of the most significant pieces of 20th-century architecture in the country. The architect Karel Hubáček won the prestigious Perret Prize, awarded by the International Union of Architects, for its design.
Where next?
If you are missing company after all that mountain remoteness, head to one of the towns in the Jizera Mountains. The most important of these is Liberec where the town hall leaves a lasting impression. The Museum of Glass and Costume Jewellery can be found in the town of Jablonec nad Nisou.