Jihlava: City History, Culture and Brewing Tradition

Jihlava offers several distinct ways to explore its history and culture: a 25-kilometre-long underground tunnel system, the city’s last surviving historic gate, with a viewpoint and exhibition, and museums covering cultural and natural history. There are also insights into the history of churches and townhouses, as well as the brewing tradition. When planning your trip, you can therefore decide whether you are most interested in historic buildings, cultural topics, regional natural history or the history of beer.

City history underground and from a viewpoint

The Jihlavské podzemí underground tunnel system is 25 kilometres long in total. It offers a distinct perspective on the city’s history, different from its visible buildings and exhibitions. The Brána Matky Boží offers an overview of central Jihlava: from the original top of its watchtower, the panorama extends across the city centre. The gate is the city’s last surviving historic gate and also houses an exhibition. The viewpoint and exhibition thus offer two different ways to experience the same historic monument—one with a view of the city centre, the other through a visit to the exhibition.

Museums: city history, nature and cultural coexistence

The Muzeum Vysočiny Jihlava presents Jihlava’s history from the Gothic period to the 20th century. Its natural history exhibitions also focus on aquatic life and the meadows and forests of the Českomoravská vrchovina region. The range of topics thus extends from a city’s history to the region’s natural landscapes. If you would like to compare both perspectives, the museum offers different focal points without merging urban and natural history into a single topic.

The Dům Gustava Mahlera offers another cultural perspective. It focuses on the coexistence and interweaving of Czech, German and Jewish cultures in Jihlava. The emphasis is therefore on the interaction of three cultures in the city. Together with the historical scope of the Muzeum Vysočiny, this creates a contrast in focus: one topic looks at cultural relationships, while the other explores the city’s development over several centuries.

Discover the church, townhouse and town hall on a guided tour

The Church of St James the Greater is a national cultural monument and Jihlava’s principal parish church. Tours of the interior and historic roof trusses are available. If you plan to take one of these tours, check the tour arrangements before your trip.

Guided tours of the Stříbrný dům explain the history of one of the oldest townhouses in Jihlava. They also show fittings from the royal mint, discovered during renovation work in the house’s courtyard. Jihlava Town Hall can also be visited on guided tours organised by Brána Jihlavy. There are several different tours to choose from: a cultural monument offering a look inside and at its roof trusses, a townhouse and its history and discovered mint fittings, and the town hall. Check the date of the Stříbrný dům tours before your trip.

Discover the brewing tradition in two ways

With advance booking, Pivovar Jihlava offers tours of its brewhouse, fermentation room and lager cellar, ending with a beer tasting. Advance booking is required for this tour. The Pivovarská naučná stezka offers a different way to discover the brewing tradition: twelve information panels tell you more about brewing in Jihlava. The two activities differ in format: the brewery tour focuses on the areas listed and the tasting at the end, while the educational trail explores the topic through information panels.

Landscaped open spaces and traces of the city’s history

At Park Gustava Mahlera, landscaping meets traces of the past. The park features water, undulating lawns, and sharply shaped and stone elements. It also includes the historic site of the zwinger, the route of the city wall and the uncovered foundations of a burned-down synagogue. The park’s description thus brings together landscaped open spaces and tangible evidence of the city’s history. This focus differs from a museum visit: here, park design and uncovered structural traces come together.

Discover more destinations: Rozseč, Jezdovice, Horní Dubenky, Čížov, Stonařov, Dobronín, Stará Říše, Batelov.

For the broader travel overview: Okres Jihlava.