Discover Ralsko

When searching for a hotel in Ralsko, you can first decide which themes you want to shape your stay: natural landmarks and woodland, architectural history and art, or cycling. The places and routes offer different ways to explore these themes. This lets you plan your trip around specific interests rather than treating nature, culture and outdoor activities as interchangeable items on an itinerary.

Landscape between summit and rock formations

The Ralsko Nature Reserve is defined by the 696 m summit of Ralsko. Its landscape includes rock formations, scree slopes and scree forests. The forests consist mainly of beech trees and have a lush herb layer. This means the natural landscape is defined by more than the summit’s striking height: the different types of terrain and vegetation also characterise the protected area. Those interested in the landscape will find rock and scree slopes as well as beech forest and herb layer as distinct features of this natural environment.

Another natural monument is Vranovské skály. Designated in 1993, the area covers 17.92 ha. The rock city, set on a slope, consists of calcareous sandstone; its most prominent rock is Juliina vyhlídka. Here, the rock formations and their geological composition take centre stage. Děvín and Ostrý add another protected area to the natural attractions: the nature monument covers 33.1 ha and includes mine adits where several bat species hibernate. Alongside visible rock formations, subterranean habitats also come into view.

Church art, remembrance and castle ruins

The Church of St Havel in Kuřívody is a single-nave Baroque building dating from 1733–1734. It was created by rebuilding an older Gothic church. The wall paintings also reveal different historical layers: two medieval layers were identified in the church in 2011. The older one depicts a sky with stars and constellations in simple reddish-brown lines. When looking at the church, it is therefore worth distinguishing between the building’s history and its paintings: the Baroque building was created by rebuilding the Gothic church, while the older pictorial layer depicts a medieval starry sky.

A different historical perspective is offered by the sandstone sculpture “Zapomenutý domov” in Kuřívody. It commemorates the vanished villages in Ralsko and draws attention to the memory of places that no longer exist. Stohánek, meanwhile, preserves the remains of a castle built on an isolated rock. Access is via a steep staircase. If you plan to visit Stohánek, take this specific access condition into account. The castle ruins add a distinctive element alongside the church and remembrance themes.

Cycling routes with different details

Cyclists have two different options to consider. The educational trail “BITVY 1866 U KUŘÍVOD A MNICHOVA HRADIŠTĚ” is also suitable for cyclists. Cycle Route No. 7 comes with additional route information: it is 27.1 km long, starts and ends in Kuřívody, and is suitable for trekking and mountain bikes. These differences can help with your planning: for the educational trail, the specific information is that it is suitable for cyclists; for Route No. 7, you can also take into account its length, start and end points, and the specified types of bicycles.

The Ralsko town information centre is located in a historically significant building that was formerly a rectory, on the grounds of a church. Its location combines visitor information with a historic setting.

Discover more destinations: Nový Oldřichov, Svojkov, Luka, Blatce, Bezdez, Horní Libchava, Horní Police, Zákupy.

For the regional travel overview: Česká Lípa District.