Turnov

Not to be confused with Trutnov.

Turnov (Czech pronunciation: [ˈturnof]; German: Turnau) is a town in Semily District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 15,000 inhabitants. It is a traditional centre for gemstone polishing, glass craftsmanship and arts. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Turnov
Town
Českého ráje Square
Flag Coat of arms
Turnov Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°35′14″N 15°9′25″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Liberec
District	Semily
First mentioned	1272
Government
• Mayor	Tomáš Hocke
Area
• Total	22.71 km2 (8.77 sq mi)
Elevation	260 m (850 ft)
Population  (2024-01-01)
• Total	14,502
• Density	640/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	511 01
Website	www.turnov.cz

Turnov lies near the Bohemian Paradise Protected Landscape Area which makes it a place for tourists and summer residents. The town is an important traffic crossroads. Turnov has a large museum, three galleries, six churches and a synagogue. The small old town of Middle Ages urbanism is surrounded by modern garden neighbourhoods and large parks representing an organic connection between urban areas and nature.

Administrative parts

The villages and town parts of Bukovina, Daliměřice, Dolánky u Turnova, Hrubý Rohozec, Kadeřavec, Kobylka, Loužek, Malý Rohozec, Mašov, Mokřiny, Pelešany and Vazovec are administrative parts of Turnov.

Geography

Turnov is located about 19 kilometres (12 mi) south of Liberec. The Jizera River flows through the town. It lies in the Jičín Uplands. The highest point is the hill Cestník at 421 m (1,381 ft) above sea level. Turnov lies at the edge of the Bohemian Paradise Protected Landscape Area.

History

The first written mention of Turnov is in a deed of King Ottokar II from 1272. Turnov was founded around 1250 by Jaroslav and Havel of Markvartice on a spur of rock overlooking the Jizera River. A Dominican cloister was founded by Saint Zdislava, wife of Sir Havel. During the later medieval period, Turnov came into the possession of the Wartenberg and Smiřický noble houses. The medieval town was frequently vulnerable to fires – it was burnt by Lusatian crusaders in 1468 and during the Thirty Years' War by Swedes in 1643, as well as a conflagration in 1707.

Turnov has long been known for its expertise with gemstones. It attracted many medieval craftsmen and artisans who produced jewelry out the local Bohemian garnet. The first European technical school for the processing of gemstones, metals and jewelry, nowadays the Applied Arts Secondary School, was founded in Turnov in 1884 and still exists as one of the best schools of this type in the world.

Jewish community

The Turnov Jewish community was first documented in 1527. After it ceased to exist at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, new Jewish settlers were invited to the town by Albrecht von Wallenstein in 1623. The Jewish ghetto was established in 1647. Most of the Jewish population were killed during the Holocaust and only 19 of them returned to Turnov after World War II. The Jewish community officially ceased to exist in 1961.

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 6,849 —     1880 7,245 +5.8% 1890 8,670 +19.7% 1900 9,028 +4.1% 1910 10,007 +10.8%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 9,753 −2.5% 1930 11,541 +18.3% 1950 11,268 −2.4% 1961 12,270 +8.9% 1970 13,633 +11.1%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 14,550 +6.7% 1991 14,398 −1.0% 2001 14,513 +0.8% 2011 14,472 −0.3% 2021 14,242 −1.6%
Source: Censuses

Transport

Turnov is an important traffic crossroads. The D10 motorway from Prague ends just beyond the municipal limits and runs through the town as the I/10 road (part of the European route E65). The I/35 road (the section from Liberec to Hradec Králové, part of the European route E442) also runs through the town.

Turnov is the terminus of the railway line Prague–Turnov. The town is also located on the interregional railway line from Liberec to Hradec Králové and Pardubice.

Sights

Town hall on Českého ráje Square

The Renaissance town hall in Turnov dates from 1562, while its three historical churches date from throughout the 14th–19th centuries. In a suburb lies the Hrubý Rohozec Castle, built in 1250 and later reconstructed into a château; today it is admissible to the public. The municipality itself is now the owner of the Valdštejn Castle, the cradle of the famous Waldstein family, which is also open for tourists.

The former synagogue in Turnov dates from 1779. Between the 1950s and 2003, the building was used as a warehouse. In 2003, the building was bought by the Town of Turnov and it was restored to become a concert place and a memorial. The Jewish cemetery was founded in the 17th century. The oldest preserved tombstone dates from 1649.

Museum of the Bohemian Paradise in Turnov has a significant collection of gemstones and jewelry, as well as exhibits on geology, archaeology and folklore. It was founded in 1886.

Notable people

• Josef Pekař (1870–1937), historian
• Jan Košek (1884–1927), footballer
• Jan Patočka (1907–1977), philosopher
• Alexandr Kliment (1929–2017), novelist
• Jaroslav Rudiš (born 1972), writer, journalist and musician
• Jan Farský (born 1979), politician
• Roman Koudelka (born 1989), ski jumper
• Adam Helcelet (born 1991), decathlete

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Czech Republic

Turnov is twinned with:

• Alvesta, Sweden
• Idar-Oberstein, Germany
• Jawor, Poland
• Keszthely, Hungary
• Murska Sobota, Slovenia
• Niesky, Germany

External links

• Official website
• Official tourist information portal
• Museum of the Bohemian Paradise
• The Bohemian Paradise