Church of Saint Michael

The Church of Saint Michael stands in Michalovice, a district of the town of Mladá Boleslav in the Central Bohemian Region, perched on a steep slope above the Jizera River, directly facing the ruins of the medieval Michalovice Castle across the valley. It is one of the oldest surviving religious buildings in the area and is protected as a Czech cultural monument.

Where does the name Michalovice come from?

Both the village and the castle took their name from the church's patron saint, Michael the Archangel. A church likely already stood on this spot in the first half of the 13th century, predating the nearby castle itself. The earliest written record dates to 1358, though it names the dedication as Saint Matthias — most historians consider this a scribe's error. Just a year later, in 1359, sources mention an altar under the church's present dedication to Saint Michael the Archangel, which places the cult of this patron firmly in the mid-14th century.

What does the building look like?

The church is a modest, tower-less single-nave structure with a rectangular presbytery. Its core dates to the late Romanesque period, but the building has been reshaped repeatedly over the centuries, picking up Gothic and later Baroque features along the way. In 1893 a new tower was added and the whole structure received Neo-Romanesque adjustments, giving the façade the historicizing look it has today. The church sits in the middle of a former cemetery, right next to a farmstead courtyard — a layout typical of rural churches founded alongside knightly manors in the Middle Ages.

Can you go inside?

This matters for anyone planning a visit: since 1990 the church grounds and the adjoining cemetery have been surrounded by private property, making the site inaccessible to casual visitors even though it still formally belongs to the Roman Catholic parish of Bukovno. In practice, the best views of the church — together with the whole composition of castle ruins across the valley — come from the walking trail running along the Jizera River or from viewpoints on either bank.

What else is worth seeing nearby?

Directly across from the church, on a rocky spur above the Jizera, rise the ruins of Michalovice Castle, founded by the Markvartice family in the last quarter of the 13th century. The most striking feature of the ruins is a distinctly leaning cylindrical tower nicknamed "Putna" ("the bucket"), named for its shape. Despite a visible crack running through one of its walls, the tower has served as a public lookout point since 1911 — unlike the church itself, which remains off-limits. From the top, the view takes in the whole Jizera valley along with the church on the opposite bank.

How do you get there?

Michalovice lies roughly 3 kilometers northwest of central Mladá Boleslav, on the right bank of the Jizera, in the direction of Česká Lípa. The most convenient way to reach it is on foot or by bicycle along the riverside trail, which winds through a scenic stretch of the valley and links both landmarks — the castle ruins and the view of the church.

Frequently asked questions

Can you enter the Church of Saint Michael in Michalovice? No — since 1990 the site has been surrounded by private land and is closed to visitors, even though it formally still belongs to the Bukovno parish.

How old is the church? Its origins likely trace back to the first half of the 13th century, with the earliest confirmed reference to its current dedication dating to 1359.

What stands next to the church? Directly across the Jizera River are the ruins of Michalovice Castle, marked by the leaning "Putna" tower, which has functioned as a public lookout since 1911.

How do I get to Michalovice from Mladá Boleslav? It's about 3 kilometers northwest of the town center, best reached on foot or by bicycle along the trail that follows the Jizera River.