The “Jizerská magistrála” cross-country skiing network

Information about the Jizerská magistrála cross-country skiing network: www.jizerskaops.cz , tel. 483 380 034

The Jizera Mountains are named after the River Jizera that springs here. The highest mountain of this mountain range, the most northerly in the Czech Republic, is known as Smrk (1124 m). Wysoka Kopa on the Polish side of the range is some two metres higher. The Jizera Mountains Protected Landscape Area was declared in 1967 and covers an area of 350 km2. The mountains are characterised by their peat moors. Of the many protected areas in the range the Jizera Mountain Beech Trees National Nature Reserve is perhaps the most dominant. Nowhere else than in the Jizera Mountains will you find such a large number of well-kept viewing towers. The most-often visited of these are known as Královka, Bramberk, and Štěpánka. The central part of the Jizera Mountains is a plateau and so at an altitude of around 1000 metres is home to one of the most beautiful cross-country complexes in Bohemia, the network of cross-country tracks known as the "Jizerská magistrála", an undemanding and expansive cross-country network that covers around 100 km of treated cross-country tracks. A popular cross-country skiing race known as the "Jizerská 50" has been run here every year since 1968.

The "Jizerská magistrála" is one of the most often visited tracks for cross-country skiing in the Czech Republic. The machine treatment of these tracks came about in 1984 on the initiative of the organisers of the Jizerská 50 race. They wanted to all those participating in the race to be able to train for the competition throughout the whole winter season and not just on preparation days before the race itself. This idea was widely supported and the Jizera Mountains became the first in the Czech Republic to treat cross-country skiing tracks for the general public. Since 1999 the Jizerská magistrála has been treated by the "Jizerská obecně prospěšná společnost" benevolent society, which was established by the village of Bedřichov for this purpose in order to improve the quality of year-round track treatment and thus enable the development and improvement of conditions for tourism in the Jizera Mountains.

The Jizerská magistrála is currently around 115 km long. The cross-country skiing tracks from Smědava to Nové Město pod Smrkem and from Bílá Kuchyně to Oldřichov v Hájích are also now treated, and have been since 2002.

There are 13 basic access points to the tracks. These were chosen according to long-term experience and based on density of population, accessibility, and parking facilities.

The following are the access points to the Jizerská magistrála:

Bedřichov: Maliník - car park capacity: 160 spaces; web camera at: www.bedrichov.cz

Bedřichov Stadium - car park capacity: 260 spaces; web camera at: www.bedrichov.cz

Liberec: Česká chalupa, Rudolfov

Janov nad Nisou: Hrabětice - car park capacity: 100 - 120 spaces

Jablonec nad Nisou: Břízky - (the cross-country skiing centre known as "kolečko" can be used during the dark thanks to floodlighting)

Jizerka: Mořina - car park capacity: 70 places

Albrechtice: Mariánská hora - car park capacity: 40 spaces by the fire station

Horní Polubný: Václavíkova studánka - car park capacity of H. Polubný: 20 spaces by the church

Kořenov: Martinské údolí

Nové Město pod Smrkem: U spálené hospody

Smědava: car park capacity: 80 spaces

Oldřichovské sedlo

Josefův Důl: Peklo

Make use of ČSAD Jablonec nad Nisou buses ( www.csadjbc.cz) and Czech Rail train connections ( www.cd.cz) to travel to cross-country and downhill skiing centres.