Jihlava has more than one cultural and historical highlight: an underground tunnel system, a preserved historic city gate, museums, opportunities to visit a church, burgher house and town hall, as well as themes related to the brewing tradition. Gustav Mahler Park combines landscape design with historical points of reference; the region’s natural history is also represented in museum exhibitions. This gives you a clear range of themes to consider when planning your trip: you can focus on architecture, exhibitions or the brewing tradition.
Underground and City Gate
The Jihlava underground tunnel system, Jihlavské podzemí, is 25 kilometres long in total. The Mother of God Gate is Jihlava’s last surviving historic city gate. It has a viewing area and an exhibition; from the original watchtower top, visitors can enjoy a panorama of Jihlava’s centre. The two attractions offer different perspectives: the tunnel system is notable for its overall length, while the city gate focuses on a single structure with an exhibition and views of the centre.
Museums Between City History and Natural History
The Vysočina Museum in Jihlava presents the city’s history from the Gothic period through to the 20th century. This timespan offers a view of Jihlava’s urban history across different eras. Natural history exhibitions also focus on the waters, meadows and forests of the Českomoravská vrchovina region. The Gustav Mahler House offers another focus: it explores the coexistence and interweaving of Czech, German and Jewish cultures in Jihlava. The museum themes thus range from urban history and regional nature to cultural coexistence.
Church, Burgher House and Town Hall
The Church of St James the Greater is a national cultural monument and the city’s main parish church. Visits to the interior and historic roof trusses are offered; check visiting arrangements before your trip. Guided tours of the Stříbrný dům explain the history of one of Jihlava’s oldest burgher houses and show artefacts from the royal mint that were found in the house’s courtyard during renovation work. The town hall can also be visited on guided tours offered by Brána Jihlavy. The tours cover different subjects: a religious building and its roof trusses, a burgher house and finds from the mint, or the town hall. Before your trip, it is a good idea to check the schedule for tours of the Stříbrný dům.
Brewing Tradition and Park History
Two attractions explore Jihlava’s brewing tradition in different ways. Pivovar Jihlava offers tours of the brewhouse, fermentation room and lager cellar, ending with a beer tasting; advance booking is required. On the Pivovarská naučná stezka, visitors can learn more about Jihlava’s brewing tradition from twelve information boards. The brewery tour passes through three named areas and includes a tasting; the educational trail presents the subject through its information boards. You must book the brewery tour in advance.
Gustav Mahler Park combines water, undulating lawns, sharply defined features and stone elements with historical points of reference: the site of the former kennel, the course of the city wall and the uncovered foundations of a burnt-down synagogue. Here, landscape design and architectural traces form part of the same description of the place. For travellers interested in the connection between urban design and history, this is a distinctive aspect of Jihlava.
Discover more destinations: Brtnička, Velký Beranov, Nevcehle, Černíč, Kaliště U Horních Dubenek, Mrákotín U Telče, Panenska Rozsicka, Žatec Na Moravě
For the broader travel overview: Okres Jihlava.
