Lažany
The village of Lažany is situated at a height of 270 m a.s.l. in the fertile landscape of the valley of the Jizera River, a few kilometres northwest of Turnov. The centre of the village forms a basin that is open to the south. The low hill known as U Lipky on which you are standing is situated on the north side of the village and has lovely views of the surrounding area, particularly the Ještěd Ridge with Podještědí and the Bohemian Paradise.
In 2023 the village had 95 registered house numbers and 235 inhabitants. There is a green and in its centre, together with a fire reservoir, which is used as an open-air swimming pool in summer. It is worth noting the stone cross from 1821 and the memorial to the local people killed during the First World War, which was erected on the edge of the village and unveiled in 1921.
The first written record of the village dates from 1397. It was originally a typical farming village, which made its name for growing fruit and vegetables. The area around Lažany is still covered with orchards, for which a fruit press was built in 1965 – now the renowned company Moštovna Lažany.
A centuries-old linden tree stood on this site until the 1980s, a popular meeting point for the locals. When it was destroyed by a fire, new trees grew from its roots. To mark the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the independent Czechoslovak Republic, the people of Lažany planted a Tree of the Republic – a heart-shaped linden – very close by. The area was re-landscaped in 2020 and bushes and benches were added.
During the Prussian-Austrian War in 1866, the Austrian artillery stationed its artillery here, and the soldiers waited under the crown of the old linden tree for the arrival of the Prussian army, which was advancing from Dlouhé Mosty. When the Prussians arrived, an artillery battle broke out and the Austrian soldiers had to retreat from their positions. The Prussians invaded the village and looted any food they could find. The crops in the fields around Lipka were completely trampled down and destroyed by artillery shells.
If you take a look around, you can enjoy some fine views of the surrounding landscape. On your left you’ll see Ještěd, topped by the famous hotel designed by the architect Karel Hubáček and shaped like a rotating hyperboloid, as well as the Neo-Gothic Sychrov Chateau and its large park; to the right lies Kopanina hill with its 18-metre-high lookout tower, the Baroque St. George’s Church in Jenišovice, and further on looms Kozákov, the mountain that guards the Bohemian Paradise. In fine weather you can also see the Giant Mountains in the background. To the right of Kozákov lies Tábor hill, followed by Vyskeř topped by its Empire chapel, as well as St. Philip and Jacob’s Church in the village of Všeň and the mythical Mužský hill.