Bohemian Paradise Geopark

The Bohemian Paradise Geopark, which was included in the included in the prestigious European Geoparks Network list in October 2005, is a true geological textbook. This park, covering an area of 760 km2, includes a wide range of geological phenomena, paleontological, mineralogical and archaeological sites and historical monuments. It can be found amongst the towns of Mnichovo Hradiště, Železný Brod, Jilemnice, Nová Paka and Jičín. 

This region was raised up from the ocean bed more that 300 million years ago, and again covered by sea 100 million years ago. Volcanic activity has occurred here several times. The area contains rocks originating right at the start of the Palaeozoic. During this era thick sediments formed and melaphyres bubbled up, containing agates, amethysts, and jasper. The residues of plants formed the basis for charcoal or were saturated with silica.

Petrified trees are a phenomenon of the Nová Paka region. If material was deposited in the period after the beginning of the Mesozoic, it was eroded until the rise of the Cretaceous Sea. During the 10 million years of being washed by the sea, several hundred metres of sand, dust and clay settled here, which first hardened, but were then broken up by mountain-forming processes into smaller bergs and even smaller blocks. The flowing water and climate modelled the terrain into the shape we see today and during the Tertiary, its surface was dotted with the volcanoes that dominate the landscape today. As it is situated at the point where three geologically different areas meet, it has a diverse landscape and raw materials in the earth. Not only precious stones can be found here, but iron ore also used to mined and processed, as well as coal and copper. Building stone was quarried here, together with slate, which was made into roofing tiles. There are sources of quality drinking water here. It has been proven that man has lived here for more than 10 000 years and has helped to shape the landscape. He turned the original swamps into farmland or ponds, and built villages, castles and chateaus.