Raspenava

The town of Raspenava covers an area of 41.22 square kilometres under the northern slopes of the Jizera Mountains, in the valley of the Smědá River. It lies at an altitude of 280 to 850 m above sea level and its geographical location makes it an ideal starting point for exploring the whole Jizera Mountains, the Frýdlant Projection and the nearby border region. The town is a crossroads of hiking and bike trails.

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            An information centre is located in the local library in the town hall building. Visitors to Raspenava can enjoy a number of outdoor sports facilities, a sports hall and more. A restored natural swimming pool is open during the summer season. There are several grocery and convenience stores in the town, as well as several restaurants and accommodation facilities, including a camping site in the Smědá recreational and sports complex.

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            Transport services in the city are provided by both buses and trains. There are 3 train stations and a number of bus stops, as the urban development lines along the almost 7.5 km long main road.

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            A great attraction of Raspenava is a visit to the local lavender workshop. In the foothills of the Jizera Mountains, these fragrant flowers are grown and processed into oils, cosmetics and various delicacies. The Levandulovna lavender workshop is located near Myslivecké zátiší in Hejnická Street. Some houses in Raspenava also carry interesting stories. The writer Václav Kaplický wrote his novels The Iron Crown and The Witchhammer in his cottage in the Peklo (or Hell) hamlet. The villa of the painter Wenzel Franz Jäger from 1899 was the first Art Nouveau building in the Liberec Region. The Upper Lusatian house in Luhová Street, where the Museum of Rural Life is located, is in itself and example of folk architecture.