Jičín is the largest town in the area surrounding Český ráj, and has some fine examples of Renaissance and Baroque architecture, including its famous famous town square.

Jičín’s history is closely associated with the late 13th century royal castle of Veliš, built on an volcanic outcrop 3 km to the southwest of the current town centre. This castle was once viewed as the strongest in Bohemia, but little remains of it today. Jičín probably started as a village below the castle, but its location was changed to be better protected by the river Cidlina.

In the 14th and early 15th centuries Jičín was owned by the Vartenberk family dynasty, a major branch of the Markvart family, which controlled most of the upper Jizera area in the 14th century.

Control of the town changed hands and appearance several times over the following two centuries, the wooden buildings being replaced – mostly after fire damage – by the Renaissance stone buildings, some of which survive today.

In 1621, the town became the property of Albrecht of Valdštejn, the imperial generalissimo. He made the town his seat, from which he administered his large holdings in north Bohemia, including all the lands formerly controlled by his distant relatives the Markvarts and Vartenberks. Under Valdštejn, the town grew in stature and size. The famous loggia and alley of linden trees was constructed during his ownership, but the construction activity was curtailed after Albrecht’s assassination in 1634.

Much of the Baroque architecture in the town dates from the 18th century, when the town again became a major regional centre, which continues to this day.