Turnov was founded as a Bohemian town in 1272 by Jaroslav and Havel of Markvartice on a spur of rock overlooking the Jizera River. A Dominican cloister was founded by Saint Zdislava, wife of Sir Havel. During the Middle Ages, Turnov came into the possession of the Wartenberg and Smiricky noble houses. The medieval town was frequently vulnerable to fires—it was burnt by Lusatian crusaders in 1468 and during the Thirty Years' War by Swedes in 1643, as well as a conflagration in 1707. The first European technical school for the processing of gemstones, metals, and jewelry was founded in Turnov in 1882 and still exists as one of the best schools of this type in the world.
Its Renaissance town hall dates from 1562, while its three historical churches date from throughout the 14th-19th centuries. In a suburb lies the Hrubý Rohozec castle, built in 1250 and later reconstructed into a château; today it is admissible to the public. The municipality itself is now the owner of the Valdštejn Castle, the cradle of the famous Wallenstein family, which is also open for tourists.
Turnov has long been known for its expertise with gemstones. It attracted many medieval craftsmen and artisans who produced jewelry out the local Bohemian garnet. Its Museum of the Bohemian Paradise has a significant collection of gemstones and jewelry, as well as exhibits on geology, archaeology, and folklore.
Turnov is surrounded by many historical and natural monuments in the Bohemian Paradise, such as the ruins of the Trosky castle, the Hrubá Skála castle, the Sedmihorky spa, and many forests with rock formations and hiking paths, making it a popular base for tourism
