Příšovice

The village of Příšovice

The village of Příšovice first appears in the historical written sources in 1319, although people lived there much earlier than that. The oldest of the numerous archaeological finds discovered here dates from the Late Stone Age, i.e. from around 5,000 years BC. Even the village’s name is ancient, and refers to the old Bohemian Charvát tribe and their ancestor Prieš.

In 1564 Příšovice became part of the Svijany estate and remained so until 1945. This vast and important estate was owned by, amongst others, Albrecht von Wallenstein and from 1820 to 1945 belonged to the Rohans, a French noble family who lived in nearby Sychrov Chateau. The village has seen five military incursions in the past. During the Thirty Years’ War it was sacked twice by the Saxons and once by the Swedes, who returned there again in the War of the Austrian Succession in 1741. The village was last raided during the Prussian-Austrian War in 1866, when it was occupied by the Prussians.

At present Příšovice is home to around 1 300 inhabitants in almost 300 houses; in the past, however, the number was considerably less. In 1624 Příšovice was a small village with just thirty buildings; by 1773 there were 46 of them, home to 308 inhabitants; in 1900 we’d have found 591 people in 88 houses. The growing number of inhabitants was also reflected by the development of the village, and from 1808 to 1813 the imperial road was built from Podolí (Svijany) to Turnov, and a stone school building was constructed in 1850, which meant that the local children no longer had to go to Přepeře (in summer) or have their classes in the village shepherd's house (in winter). On 15th October 1865 the first garland-festooned train steamed through Příšovice along the new railway line from Prague to Turnov, but the train station was not built until 1911. The bridge across the Jizera River was built in 1912. The village was mostly made up of farms until the nineteen seventies, after which industry began to flourish and a housing estate was built, leading to a considerable increase in the local population.

Příšovice is home to the St. Wenceslas Chapel from 1884 as well as several extraordinarily valuable examples of folk architecture, particularly the Bičíkův and Holánův farmsteads.

The cadastre also includes two large lakes, known as Písečáky, which were formed when sand was quarried for the local housing estate and which are now used for recreation and water sports.

PŘÍŠOVICE – oficiální web obce

Příšovice – Velký and Malý Písečák

Two of the most popular places in Příšovice for decades now are its ponds, which you’d struggle to find on historical maps. Known as Písečáky, they were formed when gravel was quarried for the local panel housing estate from the 1950s to 90s, after which the quarry was flooded with water from the Jizera. The larger of the two Písečáky ponds covers an area of 28.1 ha; the smaller one with its island is 12.6 ha. Since the 1970s, Velký Písečák especially has been used for swimming, fishing and the ever-popular windsurfing, which saw its heyday here back in the late 80s and early 90s. The new body of water led to the establishment of the Sailing Club and the construction of the related facilities on the eastern shore of the pond. Suring and sailing are banned on Malý Písečák. Stricter rules for activities on the ponds have been in place since 2008, in response to the opening of the camp between the two ponds, as well as the extension of hiking route no. 7318 and the no. 3048 bike trail and the establishment of a biocorridor and 3rd degree water supply zone. The swimmers who once made it across the large pond with the aim of finding hidden shallows are nowhere to be seen today, as because of sailboats swimming is only permitted within 20 metres of the shore. The western part of the shore of Malý Písečák can be used as a naturist beach. In recent years the covered refreshments stand has become a popular place for locals and tourists.

The area around Písečáky has not always been so peaceful. In early December 1993 tragedy struck the local Czech anglers’ association when huge numbers of fish died. These included some seven tonnes of carp, pike-perch, eel, pike and walleye, some of which weighed up to 20 kg. An investigation found the cause of death to be a high concentration of nitrogenous substances, caused by manure or fertilizer seeping into the water reservoir during a heavy thaw. In early March 2000, the Jizera River flooded, devastating the wider area around both lakes, followed on 23 July 2009 by torrential rain with gale-force winds.