Liberec - 7 places worth to know

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The city of Liberec in northern Bohemia is an ideal accommodation base when visiting the Liberec Region. It is an important winter sports centre, but also a great place to visit during the summer. Jested tower over the city with the famous building of the century of the Czech Republic, and the town itself will charm you.

Spis treści

Localisation

Liberec is the capital of the Liberec region. It is located in northern Bohemia, on the Nisa River, near the border with Poland and Germany. It’s located around 100 km from Prague, and 70 km from Jelenia Góra. The city is located near route E442. The proximity of the border makes Liberec a perfect destination for the weekend.

German beginnings and first Porsche factory

Liberec get city rights in 1577. Before World War II, the city was mainly inhabited by Germans. The Czechs constituted only 7% of the population. Until the end of World War II, it was a German city. It developed most dynamically in the second half of the 19th century, mainly based on the textile and metallurgical industries. We cannot ignore the fact that during this time Ferdinand Porsche from Liberec opened his first workshop here. Today, the city is oriented to tourism and sport.

Everything “TOP”

We can meet with the statement that this is the city “TOP”. Starting from the mentioned Jested mountain with the most important building in the Czech Republic of the 20th century, the longest intercity tram line in the country up to the oldest crematorium. There is also the oldest zoo in the Czech Republic, famous because of the white Bengal tigers. Some also claim that the 1933 gondola lift running to Mount Jested is also the oldest in the Czech Republic. Walking around the centre of Liberec, you can also come across a very interesting small street connecting the streets: Pražka and Široka. On a short section of this steep path, you can see sewers from many cities of the Czech Republic. Liberec will surprise you for the weekend!

Longest tram line

The longest inter-city tramline leads from Liberec to Jablonec nad Nisou. The first ideas for connecting the two cities by tramway appeared as early as 1900, but the construction of the proper route was not completed until 1955. It still functions without complaint and gets the interest not only of residents but also of numerous tourists. This route is 25 km long. By tram number 11, we get it in about 20 minutes. All trams on this line are equipped with ticket vending machines. Interestingly, there are no other tram lines operating in Jablonec, only the one to Liberec.

Oldest ZOO

The Zoological Garden was opened in 1919. It is located at Lidové sady 425/1. You can get here by tram No. 2 and 3. Admission for an adult costs CZK 130, for children (up to 15 years old) – CZK 90. Children under 3 years of age enter for free. Parking is not free: CZK 50 for 6 hours. A huge plus is that the ZOO is open on all days, weekends and holidays, while opening hours depend on the season of the year. From June to August it is open the longest, from 8.00 to 19.00.

Oldest Botanical Garden

The city also has a botanical garden, also the oldest in the country and certainly worth a visit. It was opened in 1895 as the first such facility in the country. Today, it consists of as many as 9 pavilions filled with rare plants, and a glazed underwater tunnel leads to it, through which we go through a large aquarium. Here we also get by trams No. 2 or 3, to Purkyňová Street 1/630. The garden is open, like the ZOO, all year round from 8.00 to 16.00 (November-March) or 18.00 (April-October).

The most beautiful city hall in Czech

The construction of the current town hall was completed in 1893 and it has been the place for the city authorities since then. The author of the design was the Viennese architect Franz von Neumann. He projects the Vienna City Hall. This beautiful building maintained in the neo-Renaissance style attracts attention. Rich decorations, towering towers and high arches make it look beautiful and special. At the top of the highest tower of the building (65 m), there is a knight, but he was not there all the time. In 1952, the communist party ruling in Czechoslovakia replaced him with a red star. Later in this place was a lion from the coat of arms of the Czech Republic. The original figure has only returned to the top in recent years. The town hall can be visited using three routes available for tourists. They include 1. corridors, ceremonial hall and tower (70 crowns per adult, 35 children), 2. ceremonial hall (30 crowns per adult), 3. tower or balcony (30 crowns).

Oldest crematorium

It may not be such a reason to be proud, but it is certainly worth mentioning. Liberec broke some patterns at times when it was unthinkable. The first plans for the construction of the crematorium in Liberec appeared as early as 1898, but in order for the building permit to be issued, the law had to change. The city received permission from the Austrian authorities for construction only in 1912, but it still had no right to use the crematorium to organize funeral burials. Despite this, an architectural competition was announced for the crematorium building and from among 31 submitted works, the design of Rudolf Bitzan from Dresden, one of the most important creators of early modernism, was selected. This monumental building was erected on the Monstranční Hill, and the first use it, as intended, took place on October 1918 and it was the first event of this type in today’s Czech Republic.

The biggest shopping centre

If you are tired of visiting this beautiful city, you can always relax in the Babylon Center. You will find an aquapark, three-dimensional cinema, casino, hotel, science centre, the maze of mirrors (the largest in Europe) and conference centre. It is the largest facility of this type in the Czech Republic, and the aquapark located there is the largest in the country.

There is one more “Top” that I do not specifically enumerate above, it is not a reason for joy. Unfortunately, due to its location (in the valley between the Jizera and Lusatian Mountains), Liberec is also a city with capricious weather – apparently, it is raining here most often – hence the humorous term “Czech potty”. So remember that when going to explore this beautiful city, you must take umbrellas or raincoats with you, just in case :) Fortunately, you will find plenty of cafes and restaurants where you can shelter from unexpected rainfall.

Liberec is a very interesting city and many of its interesting facts are still waiting to be discovered. Everyone will find something for themselves – romantics who want to stroll through the historic streets among beautiful buildings, sports enthusiasts looking for the perfect terrain for hiking, cycling or skiing, art lovers wanting to devote their free time to theaters, galleries and exhibitions, history enthusiasts exploring underground secrets tunnels and bunkers, and even shopping tourism fans planning to spend most of their vacation at the mall. So if you are looking for an interesting place to visit, then do not hesitate – Liberec is waiting for you and you will certainly find even more of your “Top” there :)