Czech-Saxon Switzerland

Village description

Česká Kamenice

The old town Česká Kamenice can be found 20 kms north-east of Děčín on the boundary of Labské sandstones, Lužické mountains and  České Středohoří.
The town as well as the castle Kamenice on the near-by Zámecký hill was probably found by German settlers in the half of the 13th century.  The owners of the mansion changed  very often. It belonged to Jan from Michalovice, then to Berka from Dubá, to Vartenberks´, Salhausens´and to Kinsky´family. During the reign of Michalovci the citizens got the right to make and sell the beer and hold the markets. The people went through many hard times  - the bloody collisions, the commotions, the attacks of conquest and even the plagues of malign diseases. The town chronicle from the years 1380 - 1516 belongs to the oldest ones in Bohemia.

After 1830 the first industrial factories started up in the town, the glass industry was developing in surrounding woods. During the World War II. Many factories had to switch to making the weapons. In the surrounding area several captive work camps were found and the concentration camp Rabštejn.

The verified evidence of the town comes from 1352. The historical centre consists of a nice rectangle square with the eight-side fountain from 1775 and the statue of Virgin Mary from 1680. A horseshoe paved from the flint marked the farthest place where the cattle for sale could have stand. The centre of Česká Kamenice is the best extant historical centre in Děčín´s region, it is the town monument zone. We can find here the medieval architecture, baroque estate as well as the classical stone buildings. From the former walls only the south Castle gate was saved. The castle that is a combination of renaissance and baroque architecture comes from the 16th century. Nowadays it is used for commercial purposes.

It is also worth to visit the church of St. Jacob the Bigger with the graves of several members of Vartenberk´s family. The four-side church tower with the ambit served as a keep and a part of town defences. Not far from the church the preserved common yew grows  and we estimate its age at 400 years. Above the town on Zámecký hill there are the ruins of Kamenický castle. Recently the viewtower was built there so you can have a wonderfull view of the town and its surrounding. 3 kms east of the town you can visit the steep rock point called Pustý zámek - an interesting geologic formation with column cleat of phonolite creating the fan. There are a few ruins of the castle Frevald. 

Tourist attractions in a village

Zámecký vrch (Kamenický hrad), Panská skála, Skalní hrad - Frýdvald (Pustý zámek), Zámecký vrch (Kamenický hrad), Hora Luž

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