LIBEREC
Liberec is a city of the Czech Republic, in the Liberec
Region. Located on the Lusatian Neisse, it is the
capital and largest city of the region.
Liberec was first mentioned in a document from 1348, and
from 1622 to 1634 was among the possessions of Albrecht
von Wallenstein. After his death it belonged to the
Gallas and Clam Gallas families, though their
jurisdiction over the town has long ceased. The cloth-making
industry was introduced in 1579.
The city developed rapidly at the end of the 19th
century, and as a result has a spectacular collection of
late 19th century buildings; the town hall, the opera
house, and the Severoceske Muzeum (Museum of Northern
Bohemia) are of significant note. The neighborhoods on
the hills above the town center have a dizzying display
of beautiful homes and streets, all laid out in a
picturesque Romantic style, typical of central European
thermal spas.
During the 1930s the predominantly German city became
the centre of the Sudeten German Nazis and, after the
Munich Agreement in 1938, the capital of the Sudetengau
within Nazi Germany. The city's German population was
expelled following World War II through the Benes
decrees and replaced with Czechs.
Liberec shares the tramway line which connects it to its
neighboring city, Liberec nad Nisou. Liberec's
prominent buildings are the town hall (1893), the castle
of Count Clam Gallas, built in the 17th century, and the
Jested Tower (1968) upon the Jested Mountain, which
became a symbol of the city.
Contemporary buildings of note are also to be found,
primarily the work of the firm SIAL, and include the new
Regional Research Library (2000) and the Ceská
Pojistovna office building (1997). |