Turnov
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Disambiguation: This city is sometimes confused with the town Trutnov in Eastern Bohemia.
Turnov (IPA: [ˈtʊrnof]; German: Turnau) is a town on the Jizera river in the northern Czech Republic. It has 16,000 inhabitants and lies in the southern part of Liberec Region. It is a traditional center for gemstone polishing, glass craftmanship and arts. Turnov lies in the heart of the Bohemian Paradise (Český ráj) nature reservation which makes it wonderful place for tourists and summer residents. Town is also an important traffic crossroad with of 3 railways and highway Prague-Liberec. Turnov has a large Museum (finalist in European museums competition), 3 galleries, 6 churches and 1 synagogue. Small old town of Middle Ages urbanism is surrounded by modern garden quarters and large parks representing an organical connection between town and nature. Region is well-known for many castles, chateaus and excellent rural architecture.
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[edit] History
Turnov was founded as a Bohemian town in 1272 by Jaroslav and Havel of Markvartice on a spur of rock overlooking the Jizera River. Dominican cloister was founded by Saint Zdislava, wife of Sir Havel. During the Middle Ages it came into the possession of the Wartenberg and Smiřický noble houses. The medieval town was frequently vulnerable to fires- tt was burnt by Lusatian crusaders in 1468 and during the Thirty Years' War by Swedes in 1643, as well as a conflagration in 1707. The first European technical school for the processing of precious stones, metals, and jewelry was founded in Turnov in 1882 and still exists as a one of the best schools of this type in the world.
Its Renaissance town hall dates from 1562, while its three historical churches date from throughout the 14th-19th centuries. In a suburb lies the Hrubý Rohozec castle, built in 1250 and later reconstructed into a château; today is admissible to the public. Municipality itself is now the owner of Valdstejn Castle, cradle of famous Wallenstein family, which is also open for the tourists.
Turnov has long been known for its expertise with gemstones. It attracted many medieval craftsmen and artisans who produced jewelry out the local Bohemian garnet. Its Museum of the Bohemian Paradise has a significant collection of gemstones and jewelry, as well as exhibits on geology, archaeology, and folklore.
Turnov is surrounded by many historical and natural monuments in the Bohemian Paradise, such as the ruins of Castle Trosky, Castle Hrubá Skála, spa Sedmihorky and many forests with rock formations and hiking paths, making it a popular base for tourism.
[edit] Historical populations
[edit] Personalities
- Josef Pekar, historian
- Jan Patocka, philosopher
- Josef Vaclav Simak, historian
- Alexander Kliment, novelist
- Antonin Marek, priest, author
- Vilem Picek Podsvijansky, poet
- Frantisek Xaver Drozen, violine-maker
- Jan Prousek, painter, ethnographist
- Cenek Paclt, traveller and writer
[edit] Mayors
- JUDr. Vaclav Solc 1989-1998
- Ing. Milan Hejduk 1998-2006
- PhDr. Hana Maierova 2006
[edit] Jewish settlement
Turnov Jewish community is of middle age origin. Relationship between Jews and Christians here was not bad so there was no strict urban separation (ghetto). Community spoke Czech and has its own rabbi until 1916. After shoah there were only small number of paople practicising religion and synagogue was not used. Today, number of people of Jewish origin is relatively high in the region but only few are practicising religion. Between 1950 and 2006 synagogue have been used as a private shop and will be restored for concert place and a memorial. Old cemetery is in relatively good condition.
[edit] Sister cities
Turnov is twinned with:
[edit] External links
