Svébořický Špičák

Svébořický Špičák is a modest hill rising to 426 meters above sea level (with a prominence of 28 meters), located in the Ralsko-Svébořice cadastral area within the town of Ralsko, in the Česká Lípa district of northern Bohemia. The hill stands on the grounds of the former village of Svébořice, today part of Geopark Ralsko — a large area that preserves both nature and the traces of the region's turbulent 20th-century military history.

Where does the hill's name come from?

The name Svébořický Špičák derives directly from the village of Svébořice (German: Schwabitz), on whose former land the peak now stands. The earliest written mention of Svébořice dates back to 1325. The village grew over the centuries and reached its peak prosperity around the turn of the 20th century and during the First Czechoslovak Republic — the 1921 census recorded 615 residents living across 141 houses, the large majority (577) German and a small minority (32) Czech. Svébořice stood in what is now the heart of the geopark, not far from Kuřívody and Mimoň.

Why did the village of Svébořice disappear?

The village's fate changed with World War II and its aftermath. After September 1938, some Czech residents were forced to leave the area, and once the war ended, in 1946, the German population was expelled. That same year, the Ralsko Military Training Area was established on the site, and Svébořice ceased to exist as a settlement. Remnants of military buildings still survive in the lower part of the former village, while an RPG shooting range was built where the village center once stood, leaving that part of the site almost entirely devastated. Between 1968 and 1991, the Soviet army also used the area, further deepening the damage to the landscape.

What can visitors see here today?

After the army withdrew at the end of the 20th century, the former training ground was gradually opened to visitors, and much of it was incorporated into Geopark Ralsko — an area that combines natural features with reminders of the region's stormy military past. Though modest in height and prominence, Svébořický Špičák is one of the characteristic, free-standing hills scattered across this part of the Ralská pahorkatina upland, a landscape dotted with similar summits such as the nearby Jezovská horka, Čertova zeď, Židlovská horka, and Prosíčská horka.

How to get to Svébořický Špičák?

Because the hill sits within a former military training ground, it's worth checking current trail markings and any access restrictions before setting out — parts of Geopark Ralsko are still periodically closed for safety reasons, including the risk of unexploded ordnance left behind from military use. The nearest reference points remain Kuřívody and Mimoň, and the approach on foot leads through the site of the former village, where forest paths pass the remains of old buildings and military infrastructure.

Frequently asked questions

How tall is Svébořický Špičák? 426 meters above sea level, with a prominence of 28 meters.

Where does the hill's name come from? From the nearby, now-vanished village of Svébořice (German: Schwabitz), first recorded in 1325.

Why did the village of Svébořice disappear? The Ralsko Military Training Area was established there in 1946, and the German population had already been expelled after the war — the village ceased to exist as a settlement.

Can the area be visited today? Yes, it's part of Geopark Ralsko, though it's worth checking current access restrictions tied to the area's military history.

Where is Svébořický Špičák located? In the Ralsko-Svébořice cadastral area, Česká Lípa district, near the site of the former village of Svébořice, not far from Kuřívody and Mimoň.