Liberec
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| Area: | 106 km² |
| Population: | 97,770 (2003) |
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| Missing image Czech_city_Liberec.png Map of the Czech Republic highlighting Liberec | |
Liberec Template:Audio (German: Reichenberg) 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.
The most prominent buildings are the town hall (1893), the castle of Count Clam Gallas, built in the 17th century, and the Ještěd Tower (1968) upon the Ještěd Mountain, which became a symbol of the city.
Liberec is first mentioned in a document of 1348, and from 1622 to 1634 was among the possessions of the great Wallenstein. Since his death it has 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 eighteenth century buildings. In addition to the Town Hall; the Opera House and the Severocesky Muzeum (Museum of Northern Bohemia) are of significant note. The neighborhoods on the hills above the town center have a dizzying display of beautiul homes and genteel streets, all laid out in a picturesque 'Romantic' style, typical of central European thermal spas.
Prior to World War II the predominantly German city in 1930s became the centre of Sudeten German Nazis and after the Munich Agreement the capital of the Sudetengau within Nazi Germany.
Liberec shares the tramway line which connects it to its neighboring city, Jablonec nad Nisou.
Comtemporary buildings of note are also to be found, primarily the work of the firm SIAL, and include the new National Science Library (2000) and the Česka Pojištovna office building (1997).
External links
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