Tuřice – the Jizera, cycling routes and history

Tuřice offers several ways to plan your trip: the Jizera, with cycling and water activities, a long local history, and a traditional Easter procession. If you are considering Tuřice as a destination and looking for hotels, you can start by deciding whether your stay should focus more on riverside activities, cycling routes or the area’s history.

Cycling routes and the Jizera

The Greenway Jizera runs along the Jizera and is suitable for cycling and walking, as well as family outings. A regional travel guide also describes a cycling route from Prague towards Liberec that passes through scenic countryside and Tuřice. The Greenway is therefore described in connection with the river, while the other cycling route focuses on the Prague–Liberec direction.

The lower Jizera has a sandy riverbed, lively rapids and green banks. The river’s appearance can change with the season and water flow. Local conditions are also important when planning a river trip: a description dated 18 May 2022 calls the stretch described near Tuřice navigable by canoe and kayak almost all year round. It also considers the stretch suitable for trips with children; water levels and the paddlers’ skill both play a role.

There is a car park on the right bank of the Jizera near the Tuřice Bridge. A meadow above the bridge can be used as a starting point for a river trip. Check water conditions and local parking regulations before setting out.

Local history and tradition

A fortress stood at the Tuřice settlement and is documented as early as 1194 by Zbraslav of Tuřice (“Zbraslaus de Turic”). It is mentioned as abandoned in the 1469 inheritance inventory. The former site was in the “Na poustkách” field and was finally destroyed during the construction of the motorway towards Prague. The fortress is therefore part of the area’s history, not a surviving building.

Another structure with a specific date is the Tuřice road bridge over the Jizera, built in 1924. Local customs also include the traditional Easter procession with ratchets. These wooden rattling instruments replace the ringing of church bells; the instruments used also include wheeled ratchet carts. The procession thus combines a religious custom with a distinctive way of replacing the bells.

A historical landmark in the surrounding area is in Hlavenec, in the immediate vicinity of Tuřice and Sobětuchy. There stands a Braun hunting monument to Charles VI, erected by Count Špork in 1725. It adds to the area’s history a monument specifically associated with Hlavenec.

Discover more destinations: Řitonice, Hradec, Branzez, Předměřice Nad Jizerou, Kovanec, Smilovice, Rohatsko, Rokytá.

For the overview of the wider area: Mladá Boleslav District.