Visitors choosing Hejnice for a stay will find two distinctive features: the pilgrimage Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary with its Franciscan monastery, and a variety of hiking trails. The routes differ in length and course: one hiking route starts in the town, another leads from Liberec to Hejnice, and a long pilgrimage route ends at the pilgrimage church.
Pilgrimage Church and Franciscan Monastery
The Baroque pilgrimage Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary is a single-nave building constructed between 1722 and 1729. Since July 1, 2018, it has been a national cultural monument. A large Franciscan monastery stands alongside the church in Hejnice. Together, the church and monastery provide two closely connected points of interest for a stay focused on the town’s history and architecture.
An important historical milestone dates to February 12, 1692: the Archbishop of Prague, Bedřich z Valdštejna, solemnly declared the Marian church there a monastery church and entrusted it to the care of the friars of the Franciscan Province of St. Wenceslas. This date places the history of the monastery church in context; the Baroque single-nave building was constructed later, between 1722 and 1729. The institution’s history and the building period can therefore be viewed as distinct stages. The monastery also hosts concerts, exhibitions, and lectures.
Hiking from Hejnice and on longer routes
The long-distance Via Czechia hiking trail passes directly through Hejnice. VIA NISA offers a different scale: this restored foot pilgrimage route is just under 200 kilometers long and divided into eight full-day stages. It ends at the pilgrimage Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary in Hejnice. The route thus combines a multi-day hike with a specific destination in the town; its total length and division into stages clearly set it apart from a single hike.
A 9.3-kilometer hiking route starts in Hejnice and passes the Velký Štolpich waterfall. This gives hikers both a starting point in the town and a named landmark along the way to use when planning. The Štolpichy National Nature Reserve includes gorges, streams with waterfalls, and old beech forests. These landscape features offer another specific reference for planning a hike, without implying that the individual routes are the same.
Another hiking route covers 20 kilometers from Liberec to Hejnice. Compared with the 9.3-kilometer route starting in Hejnice, it has a different stated length and a different starting point in Liberec. Those who want to include the pilgrimage church as the destination of a longer route can also choose VIA NISA, a multi-day option with eight full-day stages.
Choose when to visit and where to stay
The tourist hiking event “In the Footsteps of the Iron Crown” is also part of Hejnice’s hiking scene. It was established in 1972 and takes place regularly on the second Saturday in September; the exact dates may vary from year to year. If you want to plan your stay around the hiking event, check the date for your chosen year. This keeps event planning separate from the decision about whether to also hike one of the routes described here.
When looking for a hotel in Hejnice, you can start by deciding what you want to focus on: the church and monastery, a hike starting in the town, or a longer route. The routes mentioned offer different options: the 9.3-kilometer trail from Hejnice, the 20-kilometer route from Liberec to Hejnice, and the pilgrimage route of just under 200 kilometers with eight stages. Along with the pilgrimage church as a fixed cultural landmark, these options offer several ways to tailor your stay to your interests.
Discover more destinations: Osecna, Jablonné V Podjestedí, Bílý Kostel Nad Nisou, Lažany, Oldřichov V Hájích, Cesky Dub, Příšovice, Paceřice.
Return to the regional travel overview: Okres Liberec.
