Liberec

10. Liberec

1. BASIC INFORMATION

• the 5th largest city in the Czech Republic

• located in Bohemia, in Liberec region

• in the north of the country

• about 104 000 inhabitants

• area about 106 km2

• surrounded by the Jizera mountains and Ještěd-Kozákov Ridge

• Liberec is in the basin of River Lusatian Neisse

• Liberec was originally called Reichenberg (from German language)

• public transport is connected to other city Jablonec nad Nisou = buses and trams, small airport in Ostašov

• education - Technical University of Liberec = known for its research in the field of textile engineering, it has 7 faculties

• sport - football team Slovan Liberec, ice hockey team Bílí Tygři (white tigers) Liberec, there is also SportPark, public swimming pool, ski jump, skiing

• industry - traditional industrial city (mostly textile industry - there used to be a Textilana factory), automotive industry, nanotechnology

2. PLACES OF INTEREST / TOURIST ATTRACTIONS / FAMOUS BUILDINGS

LIBEREC TOWN HALL

• built in 1888

• on Dr. Edvard Beneš Square

• the seat of The Municipal Authority

• 65 metres tall

• 4 floors, 80 rooms

• at the top of the tower is a statue of Knight Roland

• similar to Vienna Town Hall - the design was by the architect from Vienna Franz Neumann

• on the front of building is a bronze monument in the shape of a tank strip, commemorating
  9 victims of the invasion in August 1968

JEŠTĚD TOWER

• television transmitter, hotel and restaurant

• the highest top of the city

• on the top of Mount Ještěd

• built by the architect Karel Hubáček

• national cultural monument

• tourist attraction as for winter sport - in the areal there are several downhill courses

• to the top it was possible to get with cable car (but there was an accident) - you can get there by foot or by car

THE NORTH BOHEMIAN MUSEUM

• built in 1873

• one of the largest museums and the oldest decorative art museum in the in the Czech Republic

• collections from almost all fields of interest - nature, archaeology and art history

LIBEREC REGIONAL GALLERY - BATHS

• at first there the city baths

• then it was swimming pool

• the building was in reconstruction and in 2014 there was moved from another building in Liberec the regional gallery

F. X. ŠALDA THEATRE

• built in 1883

• belongs to the oldest theatres

• smaller stage of the Small Theatre

• there are played 3 professional ensembles - drama, opera, ballet

ZOO AND BOTANICAL GARDEN

• opened in 1904 - first Zoo in Czechoslovakia

• 170 spices of animals

• the botanical garden was built in 1876 and rebuilt in 2000

• in the botanical garden there are 9 exhibition pavilions and 10 growing greenhouses

• 8 000 exotic plants

LIBERECKÁ VÝŠINA

• lookout tower, hotel and restaurant

• stone building

• built by textile manufacturer Heinrich Liebig in 1900 - 1901

• you can see most of Liberec city from the lookout tower

CENTRUM BABYLON LIBEREC

• for families and children

• hotel and wellness complex

• aquapark, lunapark, iQpark, funpark

CHURT OF ST. ANTHONY THE GREAT

• built in neo-gothic style

• its history dates to back to 1579

• protected as a cultural monument