Turnov

The cutting of precious stones has taken in Turnov since the end of the 16th century, and this exclusive production, together with jewelry-making, distinguishes it from similar small towns throughout Europe. Before we set out to some of the nearby sites for precious stones, we will visit the District Museum of Cesky raj with the largest collection of jasper and a permanent exhibition of garnet jewelry in the Czech Republic. In one of the most modern mineralogical exhibitions in Europe, you will be able to literally touch these precious stones. The museum, in co-operation with Mestske informacni stredisko (Town Information Centre) and DUV Granat regularly hold a meeting of stonecutters, a mineralogical exchange and in summer months an international jewelry symposium with accompanying program for the public such as displays of precious stone cutting, exhibitions, visits to the "jewelry school" (founded in 1884), excursions to the cutting plant for precious stones and into DUV Granat ("Precious Stones and Jewelry in Cesky Raj, the 2nd and 3rd weeks in July).

Near Pacltova hut (Paclt glassworks), glass compositions were fused for the production of imitation precious stones until the year 1864. Today, as well in the city, a series of cutting shops operate, which can be visited by agreement. Besides these, in the city the largest producer of garnet jewelry in the world is located, the already mentioned Druzstvo umelecke vyroby Granat (Co-operative of Artistic Production of Garnet), which presents its past and present in July in the gallery of the same name on Turnov square.

Museum of the Bohemian Paradise, tel.: 481 322 106, 481 325 277
e-mail: mail@muzeum-turnov.cz, www.muzeum-turnov.cz

Brusirna kamenu Gema, Na Stebni 365, Turnov
tel.: 481 323 501, e-mail: malinkova.j@quick.cz, www.gema.liberecko.com
for groups of 5 persons

Brusirna Petr Stastny (polishing shop), Travnice 156, Turnov
tel.: 481 322 005, e-mail: petrstastny@wo.cz, www.atelierpst.com
tours for 20 persons after prior telephone booking

SUPS (jewelry school), Skalova 373, 511 01 Turnov
tel.: 481 321 232, e-mail: info@sups.info, www.sups.info
only for pre-arranged group tours (during the event Drahy kamen a sperk open the entire 14 days in July)

DUV Granat Sales Shops
Nam. Ceskeho raje 4, 511 01 Turnov, tel.: 481 323 598
Palackeho 188, 511 01 Turnov, tel.: 481 322 882
Nam. E. Benese Liberec, tel.: 485 100 583
Antala Staska 183, Lomnice nad Popelkou, tel.: 481 671 677
Panska 1, Dlouha 28-30, Praha, tel.: 222 245 832, 222 315 612
Dr. Stejskala 9, Ceske Budejovice, tel.: 386 358 068
Latran 53, Cesky Krumlov, tel.: 380 714 135, 380 711 748

Rovensko pod Troskami

On the road in the direction of Jicin we can stop in Radvanovice at the cutting workshop of J. Salek with an exhibition of stones and jewelry and also a display of cutting. Rovensko is shown in tourist guidebooks for its curious bell tower with upside down bells with their hearts up. At the beginning of the 17th century near the church the chalice priest, alchemist, and court prospector of precious stones for the Emperor Rudolf II, Simon Tadeas Budecius, often preached. At the beginning of the 18th century, a stonemasonry guild was founded in Turnov and here. The contemporary cutters processed among other Czech garnet, which was still collected in the near vicinity in the 19th century. Contemporary diamond cutting in the firm of Josef Patocka is unique in the entire Czech Republic and is bound to the tradition established in Turnov by Belgian cutters in the 1920s. In Rovensko pod Troskami operate also the cutting workshop of Josef Maly, which annually exhibits precious stones from April to October at Kost castle, where displays of precious stone cutting and Czech garnet are also presented. In Rovensko we can also visit the small local museum with a permanent stone-cutting exhibit.

Josef Maly, tel.: 481 382 454
exhibition and display of precious stone cutting, at Kost castle
May - September daily except Monday 9:00-17:00,
April and October Saturday, Sunday and holidays 9:00-16:00

Libun

This old village is not known only for the occurrence of pseudomorphic agates with radially formed crystal structures. Already in the 19th century throughout the area, domestic Czech garnet cut and delivered from factories in Rovensko or Turnov. Today in the Libun parsonage is a gallery of the painter Frantisek Kavan, who spent part of his life here.

Lomnice nad Popelkou

From Libun, we continue in the direction of Jicin. After about 2.5 km (before Kneznice) we turn left in the direction of Doubravice and Kyje. In local melaphyre quarries are characteristic flattened agate nodules with red-yellow designs and less frequently with crystals of amethyst. In the quarries, however, mining work is underway and therefore access is not permitted. We come to Bradlecka Lhota (in local brooks are unique discoveries of garnets, with cornelian in fields in the direction of Zeleznice) and continue to Lomnice nad Popelkou. On the ridgeline stretching to the northwest toward Kozakov are several localities where one can look for chalcedony and agates in fields, for example Kosov, Morcinov, Zlabek. Zelecha is famous for discoveries of star-shaped crystals of pectolite. In Lomnice itself is a smaller mineralogical collection in the town museum and two cutting workshops operated by J. Vojik and L. Hromadka. Enthusiasts of stones may find it worthwhile to turn here outside our circuit to Zeleznice with a small museum also exhibiting a collection of agates. And first of all, from Lomnice we can turn to Nova Paka where in its vicinity are discovery sites of agates and petrified wood. Devoted to this is a lovely exhibition in the town museum located in the neo-Renaissance Sucharda house.

Brusicska dilna L. Hromadko (Cutting shop of L. Hromadko), Palackeho 640, 512 51 Lomnice nad Pop.
tel.: 481 671 456
displays of precious cut stones for previously booked groups (max. 15 persons)

Muzeum Lomnice nad Popelkou, 481 671 872, 481 671 335
e-mail: knihovna-lomnice@seznam.cz, www.lomnicenadpopelkou.cz

Muzeum Zeleznice, Muzejni nam. 181, 507 13 Zeleznice
tel.: 493 534 941, 493 525 679, 737 573 278

Mestske muzeum ? Klenotnice drahych kamenu (Town Museum - Jewel case of precious stones), F. F. Prochazky 70, 509 01 Nova Paka
tel.: 493 723 542

Kozakov

This mountain is 14 km northwest of Lomnice nad Popelkou and since the youngest Stone Age has been famous for the discovery of colourful jasper, agates and precious stone veins of quartzite in igneous melaphyre. Above Lestkov we come to a small exhibition of Kozakov and foreign stones and the open cutting works of J. Votrubec, in which you may test your skill on an old cutter. From here it is an easy walk to the accessible Votrubcuv lom, today protected by a natural opening, in which it is possible to find fragments of red-green jasper, chalcedony and agates, less frequently amethyst. We shift to the northern slope of Kozakov in the direction of Smrci, where there are again basalt quarries with the occurrence of clear red-yellow chrysolites and we continue through Zelezny Brod in the direction of Harrachov. In Prichovice we turn left to Horni Polubny and Jizerka.

Vystava a brusicska dilna J. Votrubce (Exhibition and cutting shop of J. Votrubec), Radostna pod Kozakovem 20, 512 53 Turnov
tel.: 481 320 108, daily all-year 10:00?17:00

Jizerka (Mala Jizerska louka)

Already in the 2nd half of the 16th century, prospecting and mining of precious stones was taking place in Jizera, particularly sapphires and zirconia. Especially famous is Safirovy potok (Saffire brook), in which about 30 other types of minerals have been identified including iserine and pleonast. Today Jizerka is part of the protected scenic district and Safirovy potok nature preserve.

Szklarska Poreba

We return to Prichovice and continue to Harrachov (occurrence of zeolite), where we cross the state border with Poland and continue to the famous summer resort of Szklarska Poreba. Here we can visit two mineralogical museums, collecting minerals and stones of the western Sudeten.

Muzeum Mineralogiczne, ul. Kilinskiego 20, Szklarska Poreba, Poland
tel.: +48 77173537, e-mail: sokolowski_muzea@posta.onet.pl, www.sokolowski-muzea.pl

Muzeum Ziemi, ul. Jeleniogorska 9, Szklarska Poreba, Poland
tel.: +48 75 717 3287, e-mail: junavall@hot.pl, www.szklarskaporeba.pl

Informacja Turystyczna, ul. Jednosci Narodowej 3, 58-580 Szklarska Poreba, Poland
tel.: +48 75 71 72 449, e-mail: it@sklarskaporeba.pl, www.szklarskaporeba.pl

Goerlitz

Since the Middle Ages, a significant centre of the region with numerous historical monuments noting the development of trade and crafts including goldsmith and silversmith work. Bound to this tradition today is Spolek zlatniku, stribrniku a brusicu drahokamu (Association of Goldsmiths, Silversmiths and Cutters of Precious Stones). It offers the possibility of visits to a jewelry studio Lehmann in the historical core of the city. Exhibited in the City Museum (Stadtmuseum) is a rich collection of minerals.

Schmuckatelier Lehmann, Bruederstrasse 12, D-02826 Goerlitz, BRD
tel.: +49 3581 405 266, e-mail: mlehmann.ge@gmx.net

Infozentrum, Bruederstrasse 1, D-02826 Goerlitz, BRD
tel.: +49 358 147 570, e-mail: info@g-tm.de, www.goerlitz.de

Loebau

From Goerlitz we turn back to the southwest to the small town of Loebau with a museum of crafts, where there is also a small exhibition of the geology and minerals of Horni Luzice. Regularly here in the summer season are organised mineralogical exhibitions. The Gymnasium "Geschwister Scholl" is a special mineralogical collection counting 3000 items. After 2001, it will be open for school outings and students. Already open is the mineral garden in Horni Luzice. About 15 km from Loebau, in Koenigshainer Berge, a museum was founded for granite with geological exhibition.

Geschwister Scholl-Gymnasium Loebau, Direktor Herr Dr. Stephan, Pestalozzistrasse 21, 02708 Loebau, BRD
tel.: +49 358 580 520, e-mail: info@gymnasium-loebau.de, www.loebau.de

Granitabbaummuseum am Steinbruch Koenigshain
tel.: +49 3582 660 127

Loebau-Information, Altmarkt 1, 02708 Loebau, BRD
tel.: +49 3585 450 140, e-mail: tourist-info@svloebau.de, www.loebau.de

From Loebau we return again to the Czech Republic, to Liberec and on in the direction of Turnov. Along the right side we see the massive Jested with characteristic silhouette of the television tower awarded the European Perret Prize in 1969 (arch. Hubacek) On the slopes of Jestedsky hreben was discovered a site of deep red jasper and a vein of siliceous minerals. After about 12 km we see on the right Hodkovice nad Mohelkou famed in 17th and 18th century for cut rubies.

Frydstejn

From Hodkovice we turn left into Jilov and again left into Bezdecin. Located here is an active melaphyrite quarry with occurrence of characteristic light agates and smaller spotted jasper (access not permitted). From Bezdecin we continue to Frydstejn, enter the valley of Jizera in the village of Mala Skala, from there on to Turnov. During the trip from the hill Obesenak we discover the former inn Na Metelce on the right side with a facade inlaid with agate stones. And a few kilometres further on we again find ourselves in the city of precious stones - Turnov.