Benátky nad Jizerou: Hotels and Accommodation

Benátky nad Jizerou combines a castle with historic churches, an astronomical exhibition, and protected landscapes along the Jizera.

Culture and History

Benátky nad Jizerou Castle was built at the beginning of the 16th century on the ruins of a Cyriac monastery. The figurative sgraffiti on its eastern side were added in 1599; part of the castle cellars is used for cultural and social events.

The castle church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was consecrated on 25 February 1349 and originally had an Early Gothic appearance. A gallery connects it with the castle, and its tower serves as a lookout tower.

The Muzeum Benátecka is located in the castle. It features an interactive exhibition 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 castle entrance, a memorial room opened in the museum in 1957, and a monument unveiled in the upper part of the castle park in 1974.

The Church of St. Mary Magdalene was built between 1561 and 1570 in the Late Gothic style. In 1664, it was restored in the Baroque style, particularly its façade and interiors.

Nature

The Stará Jizera natural monument comprises oxbow lakes 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 majestic oak trees; this is considered one of the last examples of a floodplain ecosystem along the Jizera.

The Slepeč natural monument lies partly in the cadastral areas of Benátky nad Jizerou and Kochánky. It covers a total of 7.75 hectares and primarily protects the occurrence of the lady's-slipper orchid, which is critically endangered in the Jizera region.

The castle vineyards lie on sunny southeastern slopes above the Jizera, on rocky ground that provided favorable conditions for successful viticulture.

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

Trails and Experiences

The “Benátecká stopa” is an approximately 1.5-kilometer-long educational trail around the castle grounds. It is intended for parents with children aged 6 to 15 and is suitable for every season.

The mobile experience app “Setkání hvězdných astronomů” includes 13 stations with tasks. The game takes approximately 45 minutes, and the route is about 1.2 kilometers long.

Orientation

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

Other places in this selection include Rohatsko, Rabakov, Kosmonosy, Ledce U Mladé Boleslavi, Sudoměř, Semčice, Malé Horky and Obrubce.

For the higher-level travel overview: Mladá Boleslav District.