In the Novopacka Klenotnica among semi-precious stones and spiritualistic séances – Nauzal

The geological composition here is very varied, the region is famous for the discoveries of precious stones – the most famous and the most beautiful are agates, admired after cutting for their color and usually also their pattern. Furthermore, large quantities of jaspers, chalcedony, carnelian, olivine, crystals, etc. are displayed in the showcases.

Some may seem dull, while others, on the contrary, stand out with a beautiful drawing. In addition, you will see a large number of calcified remains of trees, ferns, horsetails and floats.

All this is concentrated in the Klenotnice building, which is adjacent to Suchar’s house, one of the remarkable buildings in Nová Paca, decorated with paintings and sgraffitos.

Lovers of “stones” will find their way in the Klenotnica, on a relatively large area of ​​two floors they will walk through the geological development of the Earth. The stones come from a relatively large area around Nová Paka, nice pieces can still be found in the fields or in old quarries, but not every piece of rock you pick up is suitable for grinding.

You can be inspired by a visit to a museum, where you can see what types of stone you can expect after the “beauty of the earth” has been polished.

The exhibition is based on school and private collections, from the mid-19th century. century constantly replenished. The extensive occurrence of “semi-precious stones” and petrified stems of prehistoric plants is also known abroad. In some well-known localities, where really wonderful pieces of stone were found, collection and mining are already prohibited.

The collection of precious stones and their processing in Podkrkonoší dates back to the beginning of the 14th century. During the reign of Charles IV. searchers and collectors came from northern Italy, in addition to the foothills, there were also deposits on the mountains, a very prominent place for panning precious stones, especially sapphires, was the Jizerská luuka. Panning is strictly prohibited here.

The precious stone jewelry store intended for collecting and exhibiting collections was opened in 1996, after which it was modified between 2010 and 2012.

A petrified tree, araucarite, which grew here three hundred million years ago in the Carboniferous period, is displayed in a glass case in front of the building. They discovered it in Nové Paca in 1953, it is among the largest fossilized tribes in Central Europe. Araucarites were found here in large numbers, petrified trees used to be the decoration of noble residences.

In addition to the geological exposition, the last floor offers a very interesting exhibition dedicated to the phenomenon of spiritualism.

In the large room, dozens of drawings, painted by the media, are displayed on the walls. In the showcases, there is a short presentation of spiritualism in the Krkonoše Mountains, where the belief in the afterlife was very widespread.

The beginnings of this phenomenon are known among the Babylonians, Egyptians, Romans and Greeks, modern spiritualism comes from North America, from there the belief in the afterlife spread to Europe.

In 1848, in the town of Hidesville, near New York, two daughters of farmer Fox heard strange knocking and other unexplained noises at night. In the morning they found a big mess in the room.

The younger Katie tried to communicate with the spirit by knocking, to which she was answered by knocking. The ghost indicated to her that he was a peddler who was murdered in the house, even giving the location where his body was kept. After some time, the remains of a man’s body were indeed found in that place. The Foxes became the center of attention until they had to move from the farm. This was the beginning of spiritualism in the States.

Two years later, 30,000 mediums, i.e. people who communicate with the afterlife, were recorded. During the following years, the number of media has already grown to 3 million. Séances were very common and popular, even witnessed by President Abraham Lincoln.

Spiritualism came to the Czech lands in the 1880s, mainly in Turnovsko. In 1895, Antal Stašek, real name Antonín Zeman, published spiritist short stories, which he published in book form under the title Blouznivci našich hor. In subsequent editions, they were edited by his son Ivan Olbracht. The book contains a description of the fate of the first local spiritualists, as spiritualists were called.

The interpretation of spiritism is very complex, supporters believe that the spirit does not die, it is reincarnated and that it is possible to talk to it through mediums or through various objects – a table, a mug, a candle… Spiritists grouped themselves in circles, each of which had its own “spirit”, with with which he communicated.

Spirit materializes, objects levitate, mediums bring messages from persons thousands of kilometers away.

At the time of the coming technical revolution, the deviation from the church, spiritualism fell on fertile ground in the region where Czechs and Germans lived in mutual coexistence. I will record the first spiritist association in Jestřábí in Jilemnick, others in Semilsko, Novopack, Turnovsko and the capital.

Karel Sezemský (1860 to 1922) was a leading figure in Nové Paca, he is a key figure in the exhibition. At the beginning of the last century, he founded the Association of Czech-Slavic Spiritists, and created the magazine Posel záhrobní, which you will also see at the exhibition. The magazine was published for almost 40 years.

The movement was interrupted by the Protectorate, many Nazis were ardent spiritualists and occultists, e.g. Heinrich Himmler. After February 1948, all spiritualist literature disappeared from the libraries, but the new regime did not label spiritualists as class enemies. But both the Catholic and Protestant churches were against it.

The famous gathering place of spiritualists was the Kalich maze in the sandstone rocks, where the Czech brothers originally hid in the White Mountain era. People used to go to séances here in the Besedické rocks, according to witnesses, up to 2,000 people gathered here. Anyone who knows the place, it is about narrow passages in the sandstone, there is little more space, it is hard to understand that something like this could have happened here. Gatherings were held on important days, especially on May 9 and July 6.

People were even supposed to meet here in the eighties, but who knows.

Spiritism deserves more exposure, but thanks for mentioning it anyway. The Novopack spiritist exhibition is the largest in our country, and with its depository exhibits, it is among the most extensive in Europe. The drawings mostly come from the period before 1945.

At the museum’s ticket office, you can buy cut stones or jewelry made from them, as well as a variety of souvenirs or publications.

Suchard’s house: it is decorated with sgraffito and drawings according to the design of Mikoláš Alš, there is an inscription on the house among others Whoever does not like the building with my money, let him build another with his own money. Suchard’s house is one of the most important buildings in Nové Paca. The building of the sculptural Suchard family was built in the Neo-Renaissance style by the builder J. Brent in 1895-1896. The city museum is located here. Two important sculptors from Suchard’s family, Stanislav and Vojtěch, were born in the city. Stanislav is buried in the local family tomb.

Furthermore, the complex of the former monastery with the pilgrimage church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is offered, leading to it are rosary steps under a roof, formerly decorated with paintings; wooden Greek Catholic church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and St. Nicholas from the 18th century; the number of statues in the city; automobile museum; Pecka Castle or the ruins of Kumburka are nearby.