Jestřebí U České Lípy: Castle, Chapel and Nature Reserve

Jestřebí U České Lípy combines a protected wetland landscape with marked hiking trails and a multifaceted local history. Novozámecký Pond represents natural and aquatic features; Jestřebí and the village district of Újezd complement them with a chapel, church, rectory and other historical traces. This makes it possible to focus on several aspects during your trip: observing nature by the water, going on a hike or exploring Baroque and older architectural forms in the village.

Nature Reserve and Wetland Landscape

Novozámecký Pond is a national nature reserve that protects species-rich aquatic, wetland and forest ecosystems with numerous water and wetland birds. At the same time, it forms the final link in the Jestřebsko-Dokesko pond system established along the Mlýnský potok stream. The landscape therefore includes both protected habitats and a pond system with a long history. A yellow-marked hiking trail runs along the northern shore at the boundary of the municipality of Jestřebí. Those who want to explore the landscape on foot will find clear trail markings by the water. A bird-watching station and an observation pier were built at Novozámecký Pond in 2013. During a stay by the pond, this makes it possible to combine nature observation with views of the wetland landscape.

Historical Highlights in Jestřebí

Jestřebí Castle is open to visitors from 1 April to 31 October of each calendar year. In Jestřebí, the Church of St. Andrew was built in 1780–1781 as a late Baroque reconstruction after a town fire in 1768 destroyed the previous church. Opposite the church stands a Baroque rectory dating from 1730. Below the Jestřebí cemetery is a group of four cellars carved into the sandstone slope; one of them bears the year 1816 on its door lintel. The cemetery grounds also include an Ionic column with an iron cross dating from 1826. Jestřebí thus brings together a late Baroque church, a Baroque rectory, cellars carved into sandstone and a column with a cross. These different architectural and local features provide several specific points of interest for a cultural-history tour.

Újezd and Sacred Architecture

In Újezd, now a district of the municipality of Jestřebí, the rural Baroque Chapel of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was built in 1730. It has a central-plan design with a circular ground plan and a small tower crowned by a bell, a dome and a cross. The chapel adds a distinct central-plan building to the historical highlights of Jestřebí; its circular ground plan in particular distinguishes it from the churches, rectory and cemetery features described there.

Hiking Trail Markers and Other Places

The E10 European long-distance hiking trail is marked in red. In addition to the yellow-marked trail along the northern shore, this means that a red-marked long-distance hiking trail is also part of Jestřebí’s hiking profile. If you would like to explore other places when planning your trip, you can also find Luka, Prachen, Žandov, Blatce, Žďár, Ralsko, Cvikov and Kunratice U Cvikova here.

For the higher-level travel overview: Okres Česká Lípa.