Via Sacra. Discover Northern Bohemia in the Footsteps of Pilgrims
A route connecting three countries
Via Sacra is a remarkable 550-kilometre pilgrimage and tourist route crossing the Neisse-Nisa-Nysa Euroregion. Its history reaches back to the days when this area formed part of Via Regia, one of Europe’s important trading and pilgrimage routes. Merchants, pilgrims and people in search of new ideas travelled along it, carrying culture, traditions and beliefs across borders.
Today, this historic route has taken on a new form. Via Sacra connects cultural centres and sacred sites in Germany, Poland and Czechia. It currently comprises 20 pilgrimage stops – 9 in Germany, 3 in Poland and 8 in Czechia. Each tells a different story, while travelling between them offers a chance to discover the region at the unhurried pace of a walking journey.
Hejnice. At the foot of the Jizera Mountains
Hejnice has been one of Northern Bohemia’s most important pilgrimage destinations for centuries. According to legend, the story of the sanctuary began in the 13th century, when a poor craftsman experienced the miraculous healing of his family here. News of the event soon attracted other pilgrims, and the original small chapel was gradually extended over the centuries.
Today, the Basilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary and the former Franciscan monastery form an impressive Baroque complex at the foot of the Jizera Mountains. It is a place to stop for a moment, but also an ideal starting point for a longer walk through the surrounding landscape.
Liberec. Traces of the old town
In Liberec, Via Sacra leads to the small Baroque Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross. Its history recalls the time when the city was struck by a plague epidemic. The church was built at the end of the 17th century beside a new cemetery established outside the former city walls.
Inside is a valuable wooden Pietà that attracted thousands of pilgrims over the centuries. The church garden is also worth exploring, with a plague column from the workshop of Matthias Bernhard Braun, the Stations of the Cross and the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre.
Český Dub. A mystery hidden beneath the town
One of the most intriguing stories along Via Sacra can be found in Český Dub. The remains of a medieval commandery of the Knights Hospitaller lay forgotten for centuries before being rediscovered in 1991.
The commandery was founded in the 13th century by Havel of Lemberk, husband of Saint Zdislava. Later archaeological excavations uncovered a rare Romanesque cross decorated with enamel and precious stones.
Even more intriguing is where it was found. The grave containing the cross did not belong to a knight of the order, as might be expected, but to a woman. Her identity remains one of the mysteries surrounding this remarkable place.
Horní Police. A legend by the river
Another important stop on the Czech section of Via Sacra is the Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary in Horní Police. The origins of the local Marian tradition are associated with a 16th-century legend about a statue of the pregnant Virgin Mary discovered on the banks of the Ploučnice River.
A pilgrimage tradition quickly developed around the statue, and Horní Police became one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Northern Bohemia. The Baroque complex has undergone several alterations over the centuries and, following extensive restoration, is once again open to both pilgrims and visitors.
Jablonné v Podještědí. In the footsteps of Saint Zdislava
The history of Jablonné v Podještědí is inseparably linked with Saint Zdislava, the patron saint of families, the poor and the sick. Her tomb has attracted pilgrims since the Middle Ages, and an imposing church was built over her burial place at the beginning of the 18th century.
Following Zdislava’s canonisation in 1995, the church was granted the title of minor basilica. Today, the Basilica of Saint Lawrence and Saint Zdislava is one of the most important stops on the Czech section of Via Sacra, where centuries of pilgrimage tradition remain a living part of the region’s history.
Not only for pilgrims
You do not need a religious reason to follow Via Sacra. The route offers a different way to discover Northern Bohemia through its history, architecture, legends and places that have played an important role in the region for centuries.
You can travel as a pilgrim, a tourist, a history enthusiast or simply as someone looking for a less obvious route. Each stop reveals another layer of the Neisse-Nisa-Nysa Euroregion – from Baroque basilicas and former monasteries to medieval remains hidden beneath the streets of a town.
This is a journey where the destination matters, but the road itself is just as important. Via Sacra takes you beyond the main tourist routes, combines discovery with an active holiday and brings you closer to the shared history of three neighbouring countries.
