Město Jilemnice

The town Jilemnice is situated in a mountainous area of west foothills of Krkonose (the town square is located 464 metres above the sea level) and has around 6000 inhabitants today. The town has been for many years a very popular as an advantageous setting-off point for the West Krkonose, and thus has become their natural centre during a historic development.

Jilemnice was established sometimes at the beginning of the 14th century as an economic centre of an extensive Stepanice demesne held by the Valdstejn lineage. Unfortunately, the historic sources do not allow an uninterrupted look into the older history of the town, for the majority of sources was destroyed mainly through fire. The regular ground plan of the town square and of the adjacent streets seems to indicate that the town was probably founded on a green turf. Because of the secluded location, the town seems to have developed in a slower pace than other serfdom towns in populated and fertile inland. But then it appears that the secluded position protected the town for years against serious war damage. The town development was even more restricted from 1492 when Valdstejns have divided the town and the demesne into two individual parts.