Jezovská horka

Jezovská horka is a modest, roughly 400-metre hill in the Ralsko municipality, in the Česká Lípa district of the Liberec region, about 2 km southeast of the village of Kuřívody. It can't compete in height with nearby Ralsko (698 m), but it carries its own story — tied to a vanished village and to the decades this whole area spent sealed off as a military training ground.

Where exactly is this hill?

Jezovská horka belongs to the Ralsko Hills (Ralská pahorkatina), a range geographers place within the North Bohemian Table, part of the wider Bohemian Table (Česká tabule) in northern Czechia. The area is dotted with modest, dome-shaped hills of volcanic origin, of which Ralsko is the tallest and best known. Jezovská horka sits in its shadow, close to Kuřívody, an area now administratively part of the Ralsko municipality.

Where does the hill's name come from?

The name isn't arbitrary — it comes from Jezová, a former village that no longer exists. Its remains lie roughly 1.5 km southeast of the summit. Vanished settlements like this one are fairly common in the Ralsko area: post-war population transfers and the creation of a vast military training ground meant that a number of villages disappeared entirely, leaving only place names attached to nearby hills or hamlets.

What's actually up there today?

The hill isn't untouched — parts of it have been cut into by a system of now-disused quarries, leftovers from past stone extraction. The slopes are covered in mixed forest, mostly beech and oak with some pine, typical for this elevation and region. Near the summit stands a telecommunications transmitter mast, which — as often happens on hills like this — takes a bit away from the wild feel of the place but also serves as a handy landmark for anyone navigating the surrounding terrain.

How does it connect to the former Ralsko military area?

For decades after the Second World War, this entire area, Jezovská horka included, lay within the boundaries of the Ralsko military training ground, one of the largest and best known in post-war Czechoslovakia. Civilian access was off-limits, which — somewhat paradoxically — helped preserve large stretches of relatively undisturbed land. Once the military designation was lifted, the region gradually opened up to tourism, and a substantial part of it is now included in Geopark Ralsko, an area protecting the local geological and natural heritage of these old volcanic hills.

Is it worth visiting?

Jezovská horka suits fans of the quiet, lesser-visited corners of the Ralsko Hills more than anyone chasing dramatic views — there's no marked hiking trail leading straight to the top, so don't expect crowds. It does make a decent stop for anyone tracing the history of the former Ralsko military area and wanting to see how nature has reclaimed ground once occupied by the military.

Frequently asked questions

How high is Jezovská horka? The hill reaches roughly 400 metres above sea level.

Where exactly is it located? In the Ralsko municipality, Česká Lípa district (Liberec region), about 2 km southeast of Kuřívody.

Where does the hill's name come from? From Jezová, a vanished village whose remains lie about 1.5 km from the summit.

Is this the same area as Ralsko or Čertova zeď? Yes, all three lie within the Ralsko Hills and the former Ralsko military training area, but they are separate, standalone hills.

Is there anything to see at the top? Traces of old quarries, a mixed deciduous-coniferous forest, and a telecommunications mast — a modest spot better suited to local hikers than to mass tourism.