Turnov, Semily District, Liberec Region, Czech Republic

🇨🇿 Turnov is a town in Semily District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the Jizera River. Turnov is a traditional centre for gemstone polishing, glass craftsmanship and arts. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.

Turnov lies near the Bohemian Paradise Protected Landscape Area which makes it a place for tourists and summer residents. The town is also an important traffic crossroads of three railways and the Prague–Liberec highway. Turnov has a large museum, three galleries, six churches and a synagogue. The small old town of Middle Ages urbanism is surrounded by modern garden neighbourhoods and large parks representing an organic connection between urban areas and nature.

Turnov was founded as a Bohemian town around 1250 by Jaroslav and Havel of Markvartice on a spur of rock overlooking the Jizera River. A Dominican cloister was founded by Saint Zdislava, wife of Sir Havel. During the Middle Ages, Turnov came into the possession of the Wartenberg and Smiřický noble houses. The medieval town was frequently vulnerable to fires – it was burnt by Lusatian crusaders in 1468 and during the Thirty Years' War by Swedes in 1643, as well as a conflagration in 1707.

Turnov has long been known for its expertise with gemstones. It attracted many medieval craftsmen and artisans who produced jewelry out the local Bohemian garnet. The first European technical school for the processing of gemstones, metals, and jewelry, nowadays the Applied Arts Secondary School, was founded in Turnov in 1884 and still exists as one of the best schools of this type in the world.

Villages and town parts of Bukovina, Daliměřice, Dolánky u Turnova, Hrubý Rohozec, Kadeřavec, Kobylka, Loužek, Malý Rohozec, Mašov, Mokřiny, Pelešany and Vazovec are administrative parts of Turnov.

Turnov is located about 19 km (12 mi) south of Liberec. The Jizera River flows through the town. It lies in the Jičín Uplands. The highest point is the hill Cestník at 421 metres (1,381 ft). Turnov lies at the edge of the Bohemian Paradise Protected Landscape Area.