This is an area where four landscape types meet – the landscape of sandstone rocks, the landscape of volcanic cones, the landscape of the Krkonoše foothills and the landscape of flats along the Labe. The Jičín area was also the first one to experience tourism. The beginnings of tourism in Bohemian Paradise (Český ráj) are marked by a trip that ethnographer Vojta Náprstek and his friends took to Prachovské skály (rocks) and Kumburk castle in 1879.

This area located in the northeast part of the region is significantly distinct from the region’s central part because of its geological structure. It lies past the sharp dividing line between Mesozoic sandstone formations and older mountains that spread from Ještěd over Tábor hill to the town of Jičín. In the north-east, it is defined by the Krkonoše foothills.

The Nová Paka area, a paradise of petrified trees, is found in a landscape divided by valleys and long ridges. It will charm you with its red soil, the shapes of its hills that hide fairy treasures such as precious stones and pieces of petrified plants and trees. It is a very peculiar area, existing in a way on its own, with beautiful views of the region and the nearby Krkonoše Mountains.

The area is the region’s geographic centre. In its middle are the ruins of Trosky castle, looming over two unique lava cones. Trosky is also a symbol of the entire region, surrounded by vast cuboidal sandstone plates, shaped by erosion into romantic rock formations and canyon valleys.

The landscape of the Semily area has been largely affected by its geological past. The rock folding that happened between two geomorphologic eras, the Devonian and Carboniferous periods, followed by malaphyre volcanic activity, set the foundations of a colourful geological profile and later provided findings of precious stones and petrified plants.

The Sobotka and Dolnobousov areas together form a transitional region between the Labe lowlands and the hilly area of Jičín with rock formations, castles and chateaux. In the town of Sobotka you can visit the charming Humprecht Baroque chateau; not far from there is one of the best preserved Gothic castles called Kost and its adjacent nature reserve – the romantic Plakánek valley.

This is the area through which the first settlers came to the region. Evidence of their presence was found above overhangs between sandstone formations. More than ten thousand years ago, people were familiar with the Jizera River. The Celts named it Isora – a rapid river – and the Slavs renamed it the Jizera. It has been a centre of life for a very long time. First, trade routes led through the valley and later settlements were founded here.

It is an area remarkable for its geological structure, which is the most diverse in the entire region. The basement of the Železný Brod area separates the granite massive of the Krkonoše and Jizerské hory Mountains from the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin. The area is rich in crystalline slate, quartzite, vulcanite and sandstone. The geological variety is also reflected in the variety of landscape forms.