Bozkov

Bozkov
Municipality
View from the church
Flag Coat of arms
Bozkov Location in the Czech Republic
Coordinates: 50°38′24″N 15°20′14″E
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Liberec
District	Semily
First mentioned	1356
Area
• Total	6.81 km2 (2.63 sq mi)
Elevation	488 m (1,601 ft)
Population  (2023-01-01)
• Total	607
• Density	89/km2 (230/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	512 13
Website	www.obecbozkov.cz

Bozkov is a municipality and village in Semily District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 600 inhabitants. It is known for the Bozkovské Dolomite Caves.

Etymology

The village was probably originally called Boskov and the name was derived from the personal name Bosek, meaning "Bosek's (court)". Probably due to a clerical error, the name was corrupted to Bozkov.

Geography

Bozkov is located about 4 kilometres (2 mi) north of Semily and 22 km (14 mi) southeast of Liberec. It lies in a hilly landscape of the Giant Mountains Foothills. The highest point is the hill Na Končinách at 524 m (1,719 ft) above sea level.

History

The first written mention of Bozkov is from 1356. The most notable owners of Bozkov were the Smiřičký of Smiřice family (in the 16th century), Albrecht von Wallenstein (in 1622–1634), the Desfours family (in 1635–1748), and the Caretto-Millesimo family (in 1748–1824). In 1923, Bozkov was promoted to a market town, but lost the title after World War II.

Demographics

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1869 1,007 —     1880 1,082 +7.4% 1890 1,147 +6.0% 1900 1,063 −7.3% 1910 1,148 +8.0%	Year Pop. ±% 1921 1,049 −8.6% 1930 1,036 −1.2% 1950 703 −32.1% 1961 726 +3.3% 1970 651 −10.3%	Year Pop. ±% 1980 634 −2.6% 1991 566 −10.7% 2001 560 −1.1% 2011 560 +0.0% 2021 574 +2.5%
Source: Censuses

Sights

Entrance to the caves

Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary

Bozkov is known for the Bozkovské Dolomite Caves. They were formed due to a strong corrosive activity of the underground water in the lentil of calcareous metamorphosed dolomites, in some parts strongly silificated. Since 1999, they have been protected as a national nature monument. Their lower parts are permanently flooded and form the largest underground lake in Bohemia. The known spaces are 1,060 metres (3,480 ft) long and they are the longest dolomite caves in the country. A 350 metres (1,150 ft) long route is open to the public and annually visited by about 70,000 visitors.

The most valuable building in Bozkov is the Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary. It was built in 1697 and contains a rare Gothic sculpture of the Madonna, locally called "Queen of the Mountains". The church tower is 49 metres (161 ft) high and is open to the public as a lookout tower.

External links

• Official website