Jirikov

The town of Jiříkov is located close to the state border with Germany in the northeastern part of the Šluknov promontory. It is located in the shallow valley of the Jiříkov stream at an altitude of 365 m and covers an area of ​​13.32 km2. The population currently exceeds 4 thousand people.

The village consists of four parts: Starý Jiříkov, Nový Jiříkov, Loučné and Filipov. The foundation of Starý Jiříkov can be dated to the beginning of the 14th century, however, the first mention comes from 1346, not under the Czech name, but under the German name Iorgswalde, later Georgswalde. The villages of Nový Jiříkov and Filipov were founded in 1681 by Filip Zikmund of Diettrichstein. The last village to be founded was Loučné, east of Starý Jiříkov around 1730. Together as Georgswalde, i.e. the union of all four villages, we can record it for the first time in 1849.

The most significant moments in the history of the village are associated with the years 1753 and 1914. In the first case, Jiříkov was promoted to a township with the right to hold weekly markets on canvas. In the second case, it was promoted by Franz Joseph I to a city, whose coat of arms depicts St. George fighting a dragon.

The town was historically dominated by home-made and manufactured production. This mainly involved the processing of flax and the production of canvas. A prominent figure in this area was the merchant Ch. Salomon. In the technical progress associated with the industrial revolution, supra-regional companies were established here. An example is the May-Holfeld company. In addition to these sectors, the glass and engineering industries also began to gain ground. In 1900, the production of musical instruments dominated here. Unfortunately, the industrial glory of this period has not been carried over to the present day.

Among the most important natives of the city are, for example, P. Johann Georg Göttlich (1771-1843). He was one of the first botanists-florists of northern Bohemia and a pioneer of fruit growing. Then there was the chronicler and historian of the Šluknov Spit, Robert Johann Lahmer (1846-1899). We cannot forget the manufacturer of pianos and harmoniums, Franz Caesar Foerster.

What you should see

St. George’s Church – the dominant feature of the town of Jiříkov is the local church of St. George, which is located on the square. It was built in 1724-1728 at the expense of Alois Tomáš Rajmund of Harrach according to the plans of J.L. Hildebrandt. However, the actual builder of this church monument was J. J. Eichbauer, half-brother of K. I. Dientzenhofer. It is a Baroque single-nave rectangular building with a semicircular presbytery and a prismatic tower on the western facade. Around the church there are small niche Baroque chapels with a Stations of the Cross. At the same time, it is surrounded by a cemetery with a morgue from 1729. In the cemetery there is the grave of the local prominent native P. Johann Georg Göttlich (1771 – 1843). Part of the entire complex is a Baroque rectory with a mansard roof and an adjacent park. Under the cemetery wall you can then admire the sculptural group of St. John of Nepomuk with St. Charles Borromeo and St. Florian from 1769.

The Church of Our Lady Help of Christians – in the local part of Filipov, it is an important monument not only of the city, but also of the entire region, because thanks to the repeated reports of the healing of the sick through the intercession of the Mother of God, it was called the “Lourdes of Northern Bohemia”. It was completed in 1885 in the pseudo-Romanesque style according to the plans of the architect F. Hutzler from Vienna. The church gained its importance in 1926, when Pope Pius XI elevated it to a “minor basilica”. It commemorates the miracle of the apparition of the Virgin Mary and the miraculous healing of Magdalene Kadeová. Regular weekly services are held here, and every year there is a pilgrimage service on the 13th. 1. at 4 a.m. In the neighborhood of the church is now a former monastery.

The “Swedish Column” – from 1704 in Mánesova Street is the oldest preserved monument in Jiříkov. According to legend, it commemorates an event when a local farmer denied supplies to the Swedish troops and was punished by hanging.

Half-timbered houses – the village itself can also boast valuable folk architecture. The Šluknov outcrop is known as the “land of half-timbered houses,” and the town itself is one of the locations where we can encounter these houses. Most of the buildings standing today date from the 18th and 19th centuries and are an example of the common mixing of the German half-timbered house with the Slavic log house.

Jiříkov provisional museum – or Jiříkov room, visitors can see old marriage certificates, certificates, old postcards and photographs and other period objects from the early 20th century. Open Mon – Fri (except Tuesday) 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM, Saturday morning – or by appointment.

You know that…

…od roku 1873, kdy začal jezdit vlak do Georgswalde-Jiříkova, bylo nádraží na území sousedního státu v saském Ebersbachu až do roku 1933, tedy plných 60 let?

…the first prototypes of jet looms according to the patent of Ing. Svatý from Liberec were manufactured in 1953 at the Jiříkov Textilstav plant (later Elitex)?

…as early as 1820, a textile production of a specific focus, church vestments, altar covers and clothing for altar boys, was established in Georgswalde – Jiříkov by the entrepreneur Florian Holfeld? They are still used today in churches in the Šluknov region. Beautifully embroidered ones can be seen with the manufacturer’s original company label, for example, in the church in Království u Šluknov.

Where to go on a trip

On foot

Lower Jiříkov, Swedish Column (1704), Šluknovský hill, Kotonův monument, Černý rybník. Turnoff to Jitrovník. Beautiful forests and views of the Lusatian Mountains, Tolštejn, Jedlová. Back to Království, Jiříkov by road (2.5 – 3 hours)

On the road to Filipov, in the garden of the health center, a tulip-flowered lily tree (blooms in June, early July). Stop, dirt road to the St. Philip’s Basilica. Vyhlídka Hill (formerly Butterberg) and Bismarck’s Tower at the border in Saxony – Neugersdorf. On the road to the Zámeček restaurant and along the forest path to Hart and back to Jiříkov (2.5 – 3 hours)

To Ebersbach and climb to the Schlechtenberg hill with a lookout tower. On the hill is the Humboldt Museum. By the church in Ebersbach there is a swimming pool, nearby is the coffee museum. On the way back, at the borders of the LIDL, KIK, ALDI shopping centers and across the intersection of the ADRIANA restaurant in Jiříkov (2.5-3 hours)

By bike or car

Šluknov Castle, Kunratice Arboretum, Brtníky Stations of the Cross. Vlčí Hora Lookout Tower and Veronika Spring. Perennial marigold blooms on the hill in May and June. Kögler’s geological map in Zahrady, Stará Křečany, behind the viaduct 200 m on the left rare snake spruce. Rumburk Loreta, Jiříkov (30 km).

Rumburk Loreta, Krásná Lípa – House of Bohemian Switzerland. Kamenná Horka, double cross and beautiful view of the Lusatian Mountains. Doubice, Old pub with sculptures of fairy-tale creatures made of wood and stone. Kyjov, dam and swimming, walk to the Kyjov valley. Back Krásná Lípa, Rumburk, Jiříkov (35 km).

Accommodation / catering

Hotel Waldstein, Filipov 180, 407 53 Jiříkov, Tel: +420 412335386, +420 604335406, Email: waldin@email.cz (link sends e-mail)

Pension restaurant Adriana, 9. května 679, Jiříkov 40753, bily.vdf@tiscali.cz (link sends e-mail)

Terrace at Vyhlídka Filipov, Na Vyhlídke 1049, 40753 Jiříkov, Tel: +420 606 345 447 +420 722 908 255, email: terasa.vyhlidka@gmail.com (link sends e-mail)

The pastry shop, almost in the city center, at 473 Čapkova Street, Jiříkov 407 53, will offer you a cozy place to sit with coffee and dessert.