Benátky nad Jizerou: Holiday apartments and holiday homes

The history of Benátky nad Jizerou can be seen particularly clearly in its chateau: it was built at the beginning of the 16th century on the ruins of a Cyriac monastery.

Culture and history

The Chateau Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was consecrated on 25 February 1349; its original form was Early Gothic. A gallery connects the church with the chateau, and the tower of the Chateau Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary serves as a viewing tower.

The Muzeum Benátecka is located in the chateau. Its exhibitions include an interactive presentation about Tycho Brahe and prehistoric and medieval astronomy. The stay of the young musician Bedřich Smetana in Benátky nad Jizerou from 1844 to 1847 is commemorated by a plaque at the chateau entrance, a memorial room opened in the museum in 1957, and a monument unveiled in the upper part of the chateau park in 1974.

The Church of St. Mary Magdalene was built between 1561 and 1570 in the Late Gothic style and restored in the Baroque style in 1664, particularly on the façade and in the interiors. The figurative sgraffiti on the eastern side of the chateau were added in 1599. Part of the chateau cellars is used for cultural and social events.

Nature and landscape

The Stará Jizera nature monument encompasses former river channels in a meander of the Jizera between the Dražice district of Benátky nad Jizerou and the municipality of Horky nad Jizerou. It protects a relatively well-preserved complex of wetlands and meadows with scattered mighty oak trees. It is considered one of the last examples of a floodplain ecosystem along the Jizera.

The Slepeč nature monument lies partly in the cadastral territories of Benátky nad Jizerou and Kochánky, covers a total of 7.75 hectares, and protects in particular the occurrence of the lady's slipper orchid, which is critically endangered in the Jizera region. The chateau vineyards lie on sunny southeastern slopes above the Jizera on rocky ground, which provided favourable conditions for successful winegrowing.

The Žitava branch of the Way of St. James enters the cadastral territory of Benátky nad Jizerou at Lake Měsíc; the lake belongs to the Stará Jizera nature monument.

Experiences

The “Benátecká stopa” is an approximately 1.5-kilometre-long educational trail around the chateau grounds. It is intended for parents with children aged 6 to 15 and is suitable for every season. In addition, the mobile adventure app “Setkání hvězdných astronomů” includes 13 stations with tasks; the game takes approximately 45 minutes and the route is approximately 1.2 kilometres long.

Information

The information centre in Benátky nad Jizerou is located at Zámek 50 and provides general and tourist information about important facilities and services in the town and its surroundings.

Further places

Other places in this selection: Strašnov, Srbsko, Čachovice, Dalovice, Muzsky, Kobylnice, Niměřice, Střehom.

To the higher-level travel overview: Okres Mladá Boleslav.