Liberec (; german: Reichenberg) is a city in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. It has about 108,000 inhabitants and it is the fifth-largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Liberec was once home to a thriving textile industry and hence nicknamed the "

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

". For many

Czechs The Czechs ( cs, Češi, ; singular Czech, masculine: ''Čech'' , singular feminine: ''Češka'' ), or the Czech people (), are a West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common ancestry, c ...

, Liberec is mostly associated with the city's dominant Ještěd Tower. Since the end of the 19th century, the city has been a

conurbation A conurbation is a region comprising a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ca ...

with the suburb of Vratislavice nad Nisou and the neighbouring city of Jablonec nad Nisou.

Administrative division

Liberec is made up of 32 city parts and one self-governing borough (Vratislavice nad Nisou): *Liberec I-Staré Město *Liberec II-Nové Město *Liberec III-Jeřáb *Liberec IV-Perštýn *Liberec V-Kristiánov *Liberec VI-Rochlice *Liberec VII-Horní Růžodol *Liberec VIII-Dolní Hanychov *Liberec IX-Janův Důl *Liberec X-Františkov *Liberec XI-Růžodol I *Liberec XII-Staré Pavlovice *Liberec XIII-Nové Pavlovice *Liberec XIV-Ruprechtice *Liberec XV-Starý Harcov *Liberec XVI-Nový Harcov *Liberec XVII-Kateřinky *Liberec XVIII-Karlinky *Liberec XIX-Horní Hanychov *Liberec XX-Ostašov *Liberec XXI-Rudolfov *Liberec XXII-Horní Suchá *Liberec XXIII-Doubí *Liberec XXIV-Pilínkov *Liberec XXV-Vesec *Liberec XXVIII-Hluboká *Liberec XXIX-Kunratice *Liberec XXX- Vratislavice nad Nisou *Liberec XXXI-Krásná Studánka *Liberec XXXII-Radčice *Liberec XXXIII-Machnín *Liberec XXXIV-Bedřichovka *Liberec XXXV-Karlov pod Ještědem In the early 1990s, some parts became independent municipalities: Stráž nad Nisou (formerly Liberec XXVI-Stráž nad Nisou and Liberec XXVII-Svárov), Dlouhý Most (formerly Liberec XXXVI-Dlouhý Most), Jeřmanice (formerly Liberec XXXVII-Jeřmanice) and Šimonovice (formerly Liberec XXXVIII-Minkovice and Liberec XXXIX-Šimonovice).

Etymology

The oldest known names of the city are German, Reychinberch (1352) and Reychmberg (1369), meaning "rich/resourceful mountain" (''reicher Berg'' in modern German). It was also spelled Reichenberg (1385–1399) and Rychmberg (1410). The Czech equivalent originated as a distortion: Rychberk (1545), Libercum (1634), Liberk (1790), and finally Liberec (1845). In Czech, words starting with "R" were often dissimilated into "L". Since then, the city was known as Liberec in Czech and as Reichenberg in German.

Geography

Liberec is located about northeast of

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

. Most of the municipal territory lies in the Zittau Basin. In the northeast, the territory extends into the Jizera Mountains and to the eponymous protected landscape area. In the west, the territory extends into the

Ještěd–Kozákov Ridge The Ještěd–Kozákov Ridge (; cs, Ještědsko-kozákovský hřbet) is a ridge and geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is part of the Western Sudetes. The vast majority lies in the Liberec Region. Geomorphology Ještěd–Ko ...

and includes the highest point of Liberec and of the entire Ještěd–Kozákov Ridge, the mountain

Ještěd Ještěd (; german: Jeschken) is the highest mountain of the Ještěd–Kozákov Ridge in the north of the Czech Republic, at . It is the symbol of the city of Liberec. On the summit is the Ještěd Tower restaurant, hotel and television tower, ...

at above sea level. Liberec is situated on the Lusatian Neisse River. The largest body of water is Harcov Reservoir (also called Liberec Dam). The reservoir is located inside the built-up area on the Lusatian Neisse's tributary, the stream of Harcovský potok. Today it serves mainly as a recreational place for the residents of Liberec, but it was originally designed to protect the city from floods and as a water reservoir for industrial use. It is also important as a biotope with the occurrence of protected animals.

Climate

Liberec has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

( Köppen ''Dfb''). The annual average temperature is , the hottest month in July is , and the coldest month is in January. The annual precipitation is , of which July is the wettest with , while April is the driest with only . The extreme temperature throughout the year ranged from on 14 January 1987 to on 31 July 1994.

History

11th–16th centuries

In the 11th or 12th century, a settlement named Habersdorf, which was the predecessor of Liberec, was established on the

trade route A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. The term can also be used to refer to trade over bodies of water. Allowing goods to reach distant markets, a sing ...

from

Lusatia Lusatia (german: Lausitz, pl, Łużyce, hsb, Łužica, dsb, Łužyca, cs, Lužice, la, Lusatia, rarely also referred to as Sorbia) is a historical region in Central Europe, split between Germany and Poland. Lusatia stretches from the Bóbr ...

by Czech settlers and German colonizers. In the 13th century, a second settlement named Reichenberg was established near the first one. The two settlements later merged. The first written mention of Liberec under its German name Reichenberg is from 1352. Starting in 1278, the area was owned by the noble Bieberstein family. Reichenberg suffered from the passing through of troops during the

Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the Cat ...

, then was burned down in 1469 during a battle with the army of King

George of Poděbrady George of Kunštát and Poděbrady (23 April 1420 – 22 March 1471), also known as Poděbrad or Podiebrad ( cs, Jiří z Poděbrad; german: Georg von Podiebrad), was the sixteenth King of Bohemia, who ruled in 1458–1471. He was a leader of the ...

. After the Biebersteins died out, the

Frýdlant Frýdlant (; also known as Frýdlant v Čechách, german: Friedland in Böhmen) is a town in Liberec District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,400 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law a ...

estate, which included Reichenberg, was bought by the Redern family in 1558. The Rederns contributed significantly to the development of the settlement, as they built new buildings, modernized the settlement and laid the foundation of the textile industry. In 1577, Reichenberg was promoted to a town by Emperor

Rudolf II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg), Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–160 ...

. He gave the town the coat of arms it still uses today.

17th–19th centuries

From 1600, the town was administered by Kateřina of Redern, who obtained the right to trade in salt for the town, had a chapel added to the castle and contributed to the construction of the town hall. When the Redern family was forced to leave Reichenberg after the Battle of White Mountain (1620), it was acquired by Albrecht von Wallenstein. After his death it belonged to the Gallas and Clam Gallas families, who did not care much about the town. The prosperous local industry was interrupted by the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

and a great plague in 1680. The crises resulted in a series of harshly suppressed serf uprisings. In the 18th century, Reichenberg flourished. The number of inhabitants tripled and the cloth industry was very successful. The

Battle of Reichenberg The Battle of Reichenberg was a battle of the Third Silesian War (part of the Seven Years' War), fought on 21 April 1757 near the town of Reichenberg (Czech: ''Liberec'') in Bohemia. Background Marshal von Bevern had entered Bohemia with a c ...

between

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

occurred nearby in 1757 during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

, but the town continued to develop. During the 19th century, the town became the centre of textile industry in the entire

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. In 1850, it became a self-governing city. Reichenberg became a rich industrial city without representative buildings. In the late 19th century, a spectacular collection of representative buildings was created, mostly in the neo-Renaissance style: the

city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

, the

opera house An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically for o ...

, the North Bohemian Museum, the Old Synagogue, and others. A representative villa district and a forest with a botanical garden and a zoo were created.

20th century

Until 1918, the city was part of

, seat of the Reichenberg district, one of the 94 ''Bezirkshauptmannschaften'' in

. After the end of World War I, Austria-Hungary fell apart and the Czechs of Bohemia joined newly established

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

on 29 October 1918 whilst the Germans wanted to stay with Austria to form reduced German Austria on 12 November 1918, both citing

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

's Fourteen Points and the doctrine of

self-determination The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (commonly regarded as a ''jus cogens'' rule), binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter's norms. It stat ...

. Liberec was declared the capital of the German-Austrian province of

German Bohemia The Province of German Bohemia (german: Provinz Deutschböhmen ; cs, Německé Čechy) was a province in Bohemia, now the Czech Republic, established for a short period of time after the First World War, as part of the Republic of German-Austria ...

. Czechs however argued that these lands, though German-settled since the Middle Ages, were historically an integral part of the Duchy and Kingdom of Bohemia. On 16 December 1918, the Czechoslovak Army entered Liberec and the whole province remained part of Bohemia. The

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

devastated the economy of the area with its textile, carpet, glass and other light industry. The high number of unemployed people, hunger, fear of the future and dissatisfaction with the Prague government led to the flash rise of the populist Sudeten German Party (SdP), founded by

Konrad Henlein Konrad Ernst Eduard Henlein (6 May 1898 – 10 May 1945) was a leading Sudeten Germans, Sudeten German politician in Czechoslovakia. Upon the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, German occupation in October 1938 he joined the Nazi Party as well ...

, born in the suburbs of Liberec. The city became the centre of Pan-German movements and later of the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

, especially after the 1935 election, despite its important democratic mayor, Karl Kostka (

German Democratic Freedom Party German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

). The final change came in Summer 1938, after the radicalization of the terror of the SdP, whose death threats forced Kostka and his family to flee to Prague. In September 1938, the

Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, Germany, the United Kingdom, French Third Republic, France, and Fa ...

awarded the city to

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. In 1939, it became the capital of

Reichsgau Sudetenland The Reichsgau Sudetenland was an administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1939 to 1945. It comprised the northern part of the ''Sudetenland'' territory, which was annexed from Czechoslovakia according to the 30 September 1938 Munich Agreement. ...

. Most of the city's Jewish and Czech population fled to the rest of Czechoslovakia or were expelled. The important synagogue was burned down. Henlein himself confiscated a villa in Liberec that had belonged to a Jewish businessman, which remained Henlein's home until 1945. After World War II, the city again became a part of Czechoslovakia and nearly all of the city's German population was expelled following the

Beneš decrees The Beneš decrees, sk, Dekréty prezidenta republiky) and the Constitutional Decrees of the President of the Republic ( cz, Ústavní dekrety presidenta republiky, sk, Ústavné dekréty prezidenta republiky) were a series of laws drafted by t ...

. The region was then resettled with Czechs.

Demographics

Transport

Liberec city transport provides bus and

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

lines. The first tram was used in Liberec in 1897. Liberec shares the tramway line which connects it to its neighbouring city, Jablonec nad Nisou which is 12 km away. There are also two city lines with : The first connects Horní Hanychov (next to the cable car to

) and Lidové Sady via Fügnerova. The second connects Dolní Hanychov and Lidové Sady via Fügnerova (only during workdays). There are also four historical trams. In the city centre there are two tracks as a memorial, in the past trams were used also on the central place in front of the city hall. The

European route E442 European route E 442 is part of the international E-road network. Route * ** E48, E49 Karlovy Vary ** E55 Teplice ** E65 Turnov ** E67 Hradec Králové ** E462 Olomouc * ** E50, E75 Žilina External links Map of E-road {{E-road ...

passes through Liberec. A private international airport is located in the Liberec part of Ostašov.

Education and science

Technical University of Liberec The Technical University of Liberec is a university in the city of Liberec, Czech Republic. The university has undergone great transformation in its over sixty-year history. When it was founded, it was called the Institute of Mechanical Engineering ...

was founded in 1953 as " University of Mechanical Engineering in Liberec". After the number of fields has grown, in 1995, the university was renamed. It is known especially for its research in the field of textile engineering. It has about 9,000 students in 6 faculties (Mechanical Engineering, Textile Engineering, Arts and Architecture, Mechatronics Informatics and Inter-Disciplinary Studies, Science-Humanities and Education, and Economics), and it also comprises Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies and Innovation. Regional Research Library in Liberec is a general public science library, aiming at general education in the region. Founded in 1900, based on the decision of the municipal council to establish a municipal library. It has an exceptional collection of Germano-Slavica and Sudetica (periodicals and books in German language from Bohemia). New building was completed in 2000 on the site of the Old Synagogue, which was burnt down by the Nazis in November 1938. Its building comprises also a modern New Synagogue.

Culture

Mateřinka Mateřinka (a special Czech term, which means a play for children at the pre-school age) is a biennial festival of professional puppet theatre for children of the pre-school age organized by the '' Naivní divadlo'' theatre in Liberec, Czech Repu ...

is a theatre festival held biennially in June.

Sport

The city is home to FC Slovan Liberec, a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club founded in Liberec which plays in the Czech First League, the top tier. Slovan Liberec is one of the most successful clubs in the Czech Republic, having won three league titles. There is also SK VTJ Rapid Liberec. It plays in one of the lowest divisions. The

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

team

HC Bílí Tygři Liberec Bílí Tygři Liberec (English: ''Liberec White Tigers'') are a professional ice hockey club based in Liberec, Czech Republic. The team competes in the Czech Extraliga, the highest level of play in professional Czech ice hockey. History The firs ...

play in the

Czech Extraliga The Czech Extraliga ( cs, Extraliga ledního hokeje, ELH) is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. It was created by the 1993 split of the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League following the breakup of Czechoslovakia. The leag ...

, the national top tier. It plays in

Home Credit Arena The Home Credit Arena (formerly known as Tipsport Arena) is an indoor sporting arena located in Liberec, Czech Republic, sponsored by gambling firm Tipsport. The capacity of the arena is 9,000 people and it was built in 2005. It is currently ho ...

. Liberec has hosted two European Luge Championships, having done so in

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

and

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

. In

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, it hosted the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. The Ski Jumping World Cup always comes to Liberec in January. The World

Karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

Championships took place in May 2011. In 2015, Liberec hosted the 2015

World Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships The World Mountain Bike Orienteering Championships is the official event for awarding World Champion titles in mountain bike orienteering. The World Championships, also known as WMTBOC, were first held in 2002, and since 2004 they have been orga ...

Motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that use only ...

takes place at the Pavlovický Stadion. It was built in 1930. The most important event that was run on it was the semi-final of the Under-21 World Championship in 2019. The team Start Gniezno Liberec race at the stadium.

Sights

The main landmark and one of the symbols of the city is the Ještěd Tower on the

mountain,which is used as a transmitter, observation tower and hotel. It was built in 1966–1973 according to the design by the architect

Karel Hubáček Karel Hubáček (; 23 February 1924 – 25 November 2011) was a Czech architect who designed the Ještěd Tower and hotel atop the Ještěd mountain near Liberec. Hubáček's best known work was the Ještěd Tower, which was constructed bet ...

. It is the most important monument in the city, protected as a national cultural monument since 2006. The building has won many architectural awards and a poll for the most important Czech building of the 20th century. Among the most valuable buildings of the city centre is the Liberec City Hall. It was built in the

Neo-Renaissance style Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

in 1888–1893, according to the design by Franz Neumann. It has three towers; the highest of them is high. In the summer season, the interiors and one of the towers are open to the public. Since 2024, it has been protected as a national cultural monument. The Liberec Castle was built in several stages, the oldest part was built in the Renaissance style in 1582–1583. After World War II, it was in a state of disrepair, after which it was insensitively reconstructed and used by a glass manufacturer. The castle has not been used since 1997 and is gradually deteriorating. A notable building is the F. X. Šalda Theatre. It was built in the Neo-Renaissance style in 1881–1883. A valuable element is the curtain with the theme Triumph of Love, made by

Gustav Klimt Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 – February 6, 1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. Klimt is noted for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d'art. Klimt's prim ...

, Ernst Klimt and

Franz von Matsch Franz Josef Karl Edler von Matsch (16 September 1861, in Vienna – 5 October 1942, in Vienna), also known as Franz Matsch, was an Austrian painter and sculptor in the Jugendstil style. Along with Gustav and Ernst Klimt, he was a member of the Ma ...

. The North Bohemian Museum was founded in 1873 as the first arts and crafts museum in the

Czech lands The Czech lands or the Bohemian lands ( cs, České země ) are the three historical regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia. Together the three have formed the Czech part of Czechoslovakia since 1918, the Czech Socialist Republic since 1 ...

. The current museum building dates from 1898. It was designed by the architect Friedrich Ohmann and built by

Hans Grisebach Hans Grisebach (26 July 1848 – 11 May 1904) was a German architect whose buildings provided a backdrop for many celebrities from the arts world. Life Hans Otto Friedrich Julius Grisebach was born at Göttingen where August Grisebach (1814– ...

in the romantic-historicist style. The building has a high tower, which is a replica of the Liberec City Hall tower. ''Liberecká výšina'' is a significant landmark of the eastern part of the city. It is a restaurant with a high observation tower, built in the style of a medieval castle. It was built in 1900–1901 and its look is inspired by the watchtower of the

Nuremberg Castle Nuremberg Castle (german: Nürnberger Burg) is a group of medieval fortified buildings on a sandstone ridge dominating the historical center of Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany. The castle, together with the city walls, is considered to be one ...

. The most visited tourist destinations in the city are the Liberec Zoo, iQ Landia (a science centre) and Centrum Babylon (an entertainment centre which includes a large

water park A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...

, amusement park, casino, shopping court and hotel).

Zoo and botanical garden

The

Liberec Zoo Liberec Zoo (''Zoologická zahrada Liberec'') is a Czech zoo, located in Liberec in Czech Republic. Liberec Zoo is the oldest zoo in the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europ ...

was founded in 1904 and is the oldest one in the territory of the former Czechoslovakia. Today it has an area of almostz and keeps more than 160 species. The symbol of the zoo and the main attraction are the

white tiger The white tiger or bleached tiger is a leucistic pigmentation variant of the Mainland tiger. It is reported in the wild from time to time in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, in the Sunderbans region and ...

s. However, since this is a bred form of the

mainland Asian tiger ''Panthera tigris tigris'', sometimes referred to as the mainland Asian tiger, is the native tiger subspecies of mainland Asia comprising the following tiger populations: * Bengal tiger — occurs in the Indian Subcontinent from India, Nepal an ...

and not a separate species, it is planned to end their breeding after the death of the last individual. The Botanical Garden Liberec was established in 1876 by the ''Verein der Naturfreunde'' ("Society of Friends of Nature") and is the oldest one in the Czech Republic. It was originally located on the site of the North Bohemian Museum, but was moved in 1895 due to the construction of the museum. In 1996–2000, it was completely rebuilt. Today it comprises nine glasshouses for visitors with a total area of and more than 8,000 exotic plants.

Notable people

Christoph Demantius Johann Christoph Demantius (15 December 1567 – 20 April 1643) was a German composer, music theorist, writer and poet. He was an exact contemporary of Monteverdi, and represented a transitional phase in German Lutheran music from the polypho ...

(1567–1643), German composer and poet *

Joachim Johann Nepomuk Spalowsky Joachim Johann Nepomuk Anton Spalowsky (1752, Reichenberg – 1797) was an Austrian naturalist and polymath. "He was a surgeon attached to the civic regiments of Vienna." Spalowsky's 1795 treatise on conchology, ''Prodromus in Systema Historic ...

(1752–1797), Austrian naturalist *

Josef Proksch Josef Proksch or Joseph Proksch (4 August 1794, Liberec, Reichenberg (now Liberec) – 20 December 1864, Prague) was a Bohemian-Germans, German pianist and composer. His daughter, Marie Proksch, was also a well-known pianist and composer. Biograph ...

(1794–1864), composer and teacher of Bedřich Smetana *

Friedrich Karl Ginzel Friedrich Karl Ginzel (26 February 1850 – 29 June 1926) was an Austrian astronomer. From 1877 Ginzel worked at the observatory in Vienna. In 1886, he became a member of the Königlichen Astronomischen Recheninstituts in Berlin, where he was of ...

(1850–1926), Austrian astronomer *

Heinrich Herkner Heinrich Herkner (27 June 1863 – 27 May 1932) was a German economist as well as a social reformer. Biography Herkner was born in Liberec (german: Reichenberg), Bohemia and died in Berlin, Germany. Herkner studied with Lujo Brentano in St ...

(1863–1932), German economist * Ferdinand Porsche (1875–1951), Austrian-Czech car designer * Vlasta Burian (1891–1962), actor *

Edmund Nick Edmund Nick (, Reichenberg – , Geretsried) was a German composer, conductor, and music writer. Biography The son of a merchant, Nick studied law from 1910 to 1915 in Vienna and Graz. At the same time, he studied music at the Vienna Music Acade ...

(1891–1973), German composer *

Jaroslav Řídký Jaroslav Řídký (25 August 1897 – 14 August 1956) was a Czech composer, conductor, harpist, and music teacher. Life Řídký was born at Reichenberg, now Liberec. From 1919 to 1923 he studied at the Prague Conservatory with Josef Bohus ...

(1897–1956), composer *

(1898–1945), German Nazi politician * Arthur Beer (1900–1980), German astronomer *

Harald Kreutzberg Harald Kreutzberg (December 11, 1902 – April 25, 1968) was a German dancer and choreographer associated with the Ausdruckstanz movement, a form in which the individual, artistic expression of feelings or emotions is essential. Though largely fo ...

(1902–1968), German dancer and choreographer * Herbert Feigl (1902–1988), Austrian-American philosopher *

Guido Beck Guido Beck (29 August 1903 in Liberec – 21 October 1988 in Rio de Janeiro) was an Argentinian physicist of German Bohemian origin. Biography Beck studied physics in Vienna and received his doctorate in 1925, under Hans Thirring. He worked in ...

(1903–1989), Argentinian physicist *

Augustin Schramm Major Augustin Schramm (March 2, 1907 in Liberec – May 27, 1948 in Prague) was an ethnic German Czechoslovak communist professional and NKVD agent. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) in 19 ...

(1907–1948), communist politician and officer *

Roderich Menzel Roderich Ferdinand Ottomar Menzel (; 13 April 1907 – 17 October 1987) was a Czech-German amateur tennis player and, after his active career, a writer. Birth Roderich Menzel was born in Reichenberg in Bohemia (today Liberec in the Czech Republi ...

(1907–1987), Czech-German tennis player *

Fritz Preissler Fritz Preissler (21 June 1908 Hanichen near Reichenberg, Bohemia (now Liberec) - 5 June 1948 in Straubing) was a German-Bohemian luger who competed in the 1920s and 1930s. He won four medals at European luge championships with three golds ...

(1908–1948), German luger *

Egon Hartmann Egon Hartmann (24 August 1919 – 6 December 2009) was a German architect and city planner who won prizes for his city planning concepts for both East and West Berlin. Early life and education Egon Hartmann was born on 24 August 1919 in Reiche ...

(1919–2009), German architect * Otfried Preußler (1923–2013), German writer *

Marketa Goetz-Stankiewicz Marketa Goetz-Stankiewicz (born Markéta Götzová; 15 February 1927 – 6 November 2022) was a Canadian scholar and translator, best-known for her work on Czech literature. Born to a German Bohemian mother and a Czech-Jewish father, she won the 19 ...

(1927–2022), Canadian scholar and translator *

Roland Bulirsch Roland Zdeněk Bulirsch (10 November 1932 – 21 September 2022) was a German mathematician specialising in numerical analysis. He studied and taught at the Technical University of Munich, and taught internationally as visiting professor. He was ...

(1932–2022), German mathematician *

Markus Lüpertz Markus Lüpertz (born 25 April 1941) is a German painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and writer. He also publishes a magazine, and plays jazz piano. He is one of the best-known German contemporary artists. His subjects are characterized by suggest ...

(born 1941), German artist * Barbara Bouchet (born 1944), German-American actress and entrepreneur *

Jirina Marton Jirina Marton (born April 19, 1946) is a Czechoslovakia, Czech-born Canadian artist and illustrator. She was born in Liberec, studied at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, School of Applied Arts in Prague and continued her stu ...

(born 1946), Canadian artist and illustrator * Oldřich Kaiser (born 1955), actor * Vladimír Šlechta (born 1960), writer *

Jaroslav Nedvěd Jaroslav Nedvěd (born September 24, 1969) is a Czech former professional ice hockey defenceman. He is currently an assistant coach for HC Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga. He is the older brother of Petr Nedvěd. Early career Nedvěd started ...

(born 1969), ice hockey player * Petr Nedvěd (born 1971), ice hockey player * Martin Damm (born 1972), tennis player * Tomáš Enge (born 1976), F1 driver *

Jan Víšek Jan Víšek (born June 12, 1981) is a Czech former professional ice hockey player who played for HC Bílí Tygři Liberec in the Czech Extraliga. Víšek also played for HC Berounští Medvědi HC Berounští Medvědi is an ice hockey team in ...

(born 1981), ice hockey player *

Yemi A.D. Yemi Akinyemi Dele (born 4 November 1981) is a Czech multidisciplinary creative and serial entrepreneur. In December 2022, he was selected as one of eight crew members for dearMoon, which is planned to be a civilian lunar space mission. Life a ...

(born 1981), choreographer and artist * Lukáš Derner (born 1983), ice hockey player *

Pavla Havlíková Pavla Havlíková (born 20 April 1983) is a Czech professional racing cyclist Cycle sport is Competition, competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo- ...

(born 1983), cyclist *

Zuzana Hejnová Zuzana Hejnová (; born 19 December 1986) is a retired Czech athlete who specialised in the 400 metres hurdles. She won the silver medal in the event at the 2012 London Olympics. Hejnová is a two-time World Champion, having claimed titles at t ...

(born 1986), athlete *

Martin Cikl Martin Cikl. Martin Cikl (born 17 August 1987 in Varnsdorf) is a Czech ski jumper who has competed since 2002. He finished 41st in the individual large hill event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Cikl's best World finish was seventh tw ...

(born 1987), ski jumper

Twin towns – sister cities

Liberec is twinned with: * Amersfoort, Netherlands *

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ' ...

, Germany *

Nahariya Nahariya ( he, נַהֲרִיָּה, ar, نهاريا) is the northernmost coastal city in Israel. In it had a population of . Etymology Nahariya takes its name from the stream of Ga'aton (river is ''nahar'' in Hebrew), which bisects it. Hist ...

, Israel * Zittau, Germany

Gallery

Vyhled z Liberecke radnice 13.JPG, View from the city hall Liberec z Ještědu 002.jpg, View of Liberec from Ještěd Liberec-synagoga.JPG, The Liberec New Synagogue

References

External links

*
Official tourist portalFacebook pageTramway Liberec

Oblastni galerie v Liberci (Museum of art)
{{authority control Cities and towns in the Czech Republic Populated places in Liberec District Holocaust locations in Czechoslovakia