Mladoboleslavsko

Doksy

Doksy is the most well-known and sought after resort centre in northern Bohemia and was established in the second half of the 13th century. Charles IV, the Holy Roman Emperor, who bestowed important town privileges on Doksy and in 1367 established the Velký rybník pond – currently Máchovo Lake, played a significant role in the development of the town. Doksy experienced a great boom after 1928 when a beach was established on the shore of Máchovo Lake and three decades later Doksy received the status of resort and spa town. The dominant features of the town are the square with a Marian Statuary from the 17th century, and the Church of St. Bartholomew, where a copy of the statuette of the Virgin Mary from Montserrat, the so-called Black Madonna, is placed. A Renaissance chateau (currently inaccessible), Hospitálek – originally a poorhouse and orphanage, nowadays a museum dedicated to Karel Hynek Mácha, are among the other sights worth mentioning. Kids will surely welcome the Museum of Čtyřlístek and the educational trail.

Okna

The municipality is situated to the west of Mt. Bezděz and the south of Doksy. Even in the oldest times the rural municipality belonged to the Bezděz royal crown manor. Nowadays, the municipality has mostly a resort character but there are also timbered houses preserved here.

Ždírec

The municipality is located about 8 km south of Doksy between the municipalities of Okna and Blatce. The first mention of Ždírec dates back to 1052. Out of the historical monuments that are worth mentioning there is the Church of St. Jacob, the former rectory and 4 folk architecture constructions.

Blatce

The holiday village of Blatce is situated in Konrádovský důl. The municipality belonged from the beginning of the 15th century to Houska. Blatce was originally called Bláto, due to the local soil, and later by the diminutive Blatce. Blatečky also belongs to the municipality of Blatce and they have a joint history. In Blatečky, you can find several well-preserved houses, e.g., houses No. 12 and 13. Blatečky is also a starting point for the neighbouring valleys with sandstone terrain for climbing – Pohádkový důl, Kraví rokle and Itálie. To the west, above the road there is a group of rocks called Sněhurka a sedm trpaslíků – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Houska

Houska castle is a rarity in Central Europe due to its original Gothic chapel. The castle was probably built by the Lords of Dubé, around 1590 it was rebuilt into a Renaissance chateau with a quadrangular ground plan with enclosed central court. There is a little lookout tower on the roof. Inside the castle chapel there are murals from the 14th and 16th centuries and a knight's lounge. According to a legend the chapel was built exactly above the gate to hell.

Kokořínský důl

Kokořínský důl, 14 km long, is one of the most beautiful valleys in the Czech Republic, where many canyons with various sandstone formations meet. Kokořínský důl consists mostly of sandstone blocks and towers which have the character of a rock town in some places. You can find deep gorges, rock caves and overhangs, romantic pools with water lilies and also picturesque timbered houses here. Among the most stunning places are the settlements of Vojtěchov and Hlučov with folk architecture and the remnants of a mill partially carved into the rock, the rambler settlement of Harakoko, the popular lido Harasovské Lake, Mlčeň Mill and others. The Vojtěchovská, Hlučovská and Podhradská pools with their rich water flora and bird nesting habitats are rarities.

Dobřeň

The municipality is situated about 7 km north-west of Mšeno in the picturesque landscape of the Kokořínsko area. The first records of the municipality date back to 1402. There are many timbered houses and farmhouses with Empire-style entrances. Dobřeň is strategically a good starting point for trips on foot or by bike into the surrounding area, especially the CHKO Kokořínsko protected landscape area.

Kokořín

Kokořín castle is located on a sandstone rock promontory above Kokořínský důl. The castle was established at the beginning of the 14th century probably thanks to the Prague burgrave – Hynek Berka of Dubé. After the Hussite wars it started to change owners and deteriorate. At the end of the 19th century it was bought by businessman Václav Špaček and his son Jan had it undergo a Gothic Revival reconstruction before the 1st World War. The shape of the ramparts resembles a ship whose mast is the 38 m tall round tower. Another dominating feature of the castle is the palace, where one storey and a roof was added during the reconstruction and which served as the residential part, its walls covered with murals with knight motives by J. Fisher. On the slope below the castle there are so-called “Nedamy”- partially artificial caves carved into sandstone which were used during the Thirty Years’ War by people from surrounding municipalities as hiding places.