Mukařov

Mukařov is a municipality with 172 inhabitants in Okres Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic. It comprises three villages right on the edge of the former military training area Ralsko.

Geography

The three villages Mukařov, Borovice and Vicmanov above the valley of the river Zábrdka, 6 to 12 kilometers from the city Mnichovo Hradiště. Towns nearby are the east and north Jivina, Neveklovice and Strážiště. To the northwest the municipality borders on the resolution military restricted area of Ralsko which is largely uninhabited.

History

1352 Mukařov was first mentioned as a village with a parish church. The parish existed until the 17th century. He has been re-established in 1854. By 1945, the villages lay on the Czech- German language border. The former German-speaking neighboring towns in the west were cleared and leveled in 1947 for military training area. Mukařov was from then on a dead end; the road was closed to civilians. Although the villages were even outside the restricted area, they were still vulnerable during military exercises. The contamination by unexploded ordnance is still not completely eliminated. Since the withdrawal of Soviet forces in 1991, the road between Mukařov and Mimoň is reopened. The place serves as a starting point for cycling tours through the former military site. Entering the countryside off the beaten track, however, from pyrotechnic reasons either restricted or completely banned.

Attractions

• The Gothic parish church of St. Lawrence in Mukařov dates from 1450. It was renewed at the beginning of the 18th century in Baroque style in 1866 and restored in 2006.
• Above Vicmanov is a historic water mill.