Hejnice
Information about the pilgrimage site
The town on the northern border of the country, under the Jizera Mountains, has a rich and turbulent history. This Baroque pilgrimage site consists of the Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary, which contains the remains of the original Gothic church and monastery. From the latter, a 40 cm high wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, carved in the 14th century and much venerated, was brought here. In the side Gothic chapel there is still a triptych from the 15th century, from the estate of Albrecht of Wallenstein, which was donated here by his wife after his death. The estate was then acquired by Franz Ferdinand Gallas, who founded a Franciscan monastery here in 1679. Between 1722 and 1725 a Baroque single-nave church with six side chapels and two towers in the northern facade was built according to the plans of the Prague builder Tomáš Haffenecker.
The legend of the pilgrimage site tells of a craftsman who stopped on his way home at a place by a stream under a tree and fell asleep. He dreamt that if he procured a statue of the Virgin Mary and left it in the place of his dream, his sick wife and daughter would be healed at home. He did so and placed the statue in the hollow of the tree under which he fell asleep. The woman and her daughter were indeed healed and news of this miracle spread quickly. People began to travel to the site with prayers. After the tree was cut down, the statue was placed on a stump, and later the first wooden chapel was built around it. A stone structure followed. In the 16th century, the estate fell to the Protestant Rederns, who had the pilgrimage site closed. The owner of the estate, Catherine, even took the statue to her castle in Liberec, which burned down. The statue was preserved and Catherine later returned it to its original place. It was not until 1622 that the new owner of the estate, Albrecht von Wallenstein, opened the church in Hejnice to pilgrims. The greatest flowering of this Marian pilgrimage site was under the owners of the Gallas family, when a new church and monastery were built.
Tourist attractions in the vicinity
Jizera mountain beech forests-UNESCO -directly above Hejnice is a beautiful view of the Jizera Mountains, which are very popular with tourists. There is also the national nature reserve Jizera Mountain Beeches, the first UNESCO natural monument in Bohemia. The untouched nature with rock towers and waterfalls on the mountain streams brings peace and refreshment. Some of the viewpoints offer a beautiful view of the entire Frýdlantský výběžek with the monastery in Hejnice. More at https://www.jizerky.cz/cs/o-regionu/jizerskohorske-buciny-unesco.html .
Castle and chateau in Frýdlant – in the town of Frýdlant there is a large castle and Renaissance chateau complex. The castle was built in the 13th century, then the buildings of the chateau were added to it and it forms one of the largest and most visited tourist places in Bohemia. It is 9.5km from the pilgrimage site, more at https://www.zamek-frydlant.cz/cs .
The town of Liberec – today a regional and university town – is historically connected with the Frýdlant manor. Originally an insignificant settlement on the trade route to Lusatia, it rose to prominence in the 16th century and again under Albrecht von Wallenstein, who brought cloth production here. The textile industry helped Liberec to grow in the 18th century. In Liberec you can visit the Babylon water park, the zoo and the botanical garden, the oldest in Bohemia. The distance from Hejnice is 26 km. For more information visit https://www.visitliberec.eu/ .
Television tower on Ještěd – the dominant feature of the nearby Liberec and its surroundings is the television tower on Ještěd, which is also a hotel with a restaurant. The architect Karel Hubáček received the world Perret Prize for this admirable building from 1966-1973. A hut used to stand on the site of the tower and a cross has always been part of the mountain top. The present one dates back to 1990. The height of Mount Jested is 1012 m and the height of the TV tower is 94 m. More at https://www.rozhlednajested.cz/ –
Spa Libverda – small charming spa Libverda is located only 2 km from the pilgrimage site in Hejnice. Pilgrims from Lusatia, who travelled to the Marian pilgrimage site, stopped on the way at the spring that sprung up here and called it “God’s water”. The founder of the spa is considered to be the owner of the estate Kristian Filip Clam-Gallas. The development of the spa began in 1836. More at https://www.laznelibverda.cz/ .
Other tourist attractions in the area can be found on the website:
https://www.liberecky-kraj.cz/cs/aktivni-dovolena/pesi-turistika-1.html#orderby=2|ASC;page=0
Accommodation
- Accommodation for pilgrims is available directly at the monastery https://klasterhejnice.cz/ubytovani/
- Other private accommodation in the vicinity of the pilgrimage site
Availability
By car
The Hejnice Monastery is accessible by car, there is a possibility of parking in the reserved parking lot in front of the monastery.
By public transport
The site is accessible by public transport via Liberec by a combination of bus and train transport with one or two transfers. Details of connections can be checked at www.idos.cz
On foot
The monastery in Hejnice is crossed by several marked hiking trails. More information can be found at www.mapy.cz.
On a bicycle
There is a cycle path around the monastery in Hejnice. More information can be found at www.mapy.cz.
