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A recent day trip to Liberec once again reminded me of the richness of the history, architecture and geography of the Czech Republic. In one way, it was strange that I had lived in Prague for so many years and had never visited this city. In another, it wasn’t strange at all - I never heard much about it except occasionally meeting someone who was born there, and no Czech person ever told me: “You must go to Liberec” as they had for other places such as Olomouc or Cesky Krumlov. So, I’d never made the trip.
But during the pandemic when it was impractical, if not impossible at times, for me to leave the Czech Republic, a friend suggested we go there for a short holiday (basically a weekend getaway).
Long story short: I fell in love with Liberec almost immediately upon arrival.
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No, Liberec doesn’t have an abundance of the historical architecture you will find in Prague and many other smaller Czech towns of a similar size to Liberec. But in another way it has everything: good restaurants with varied cuisine; fabulous public transport; including a tram line that runs from one end of the city to a mountain ski resort on the outskirts, passing most of the city’s significant historical sites while also stopping at most of the practical and recreational places you’d like to visit. Liberec also has hip, trendy, cool cafes, several good restaurants, nearby downhill and cross-country skiing in the winter and swimming in the summer.
The city also has several museums, a zoo, a historical neighborhood filled with beautiful early 20th-century villas, a historical theater, a modern library and a spectacular town hall that reminds one of the famous town hall in Brussels. Plus, it’s surrounded by beautiful mountains covered with evergreens. What more could one want?
Some Liberec History
While it’s true that Liberec is not packed with medieval Gothic and 17th- and 18th-century Baroque buildings and churches, it was one of the most important cities in Central Europe in the early 20th century. The things that made Liberec important also made it very wealthy, so it’s late 19th- and early 20th-century architecture is both abundant and stunning. Strolling through the residential neighborhoods of Liberec reveals its wealthy past as you imagine the lifestyle of those who built and lived in its many beautiful villas.
The Liebieg Villa
Situated in the mountainous border region of the Czech Republic near Germany in what was the Sudetenland, records show that Liberec was first mentioned in the 13th century when it was granted town status by King Otakar II, and from that time it and its surrounding land passed through the hands of various noble families, including the Bieberstein, Redern, Wallenstein and Clam-Gallas families.
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In the 19th century, the town’s economic development centered around the textile industry beginning in 1818 when Johann Liebieg moved to Liberec. He eventually became a textile magnate and Liberec became the center of the textile industry for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In addition to industry, the Liebieg family also left its mark on Liberec in the form of extensive art collections and buildings.
Textile Engineering College in Liberec
At the beginning of the 20th century, Liberec was the second-largest city in the Czech Republic. But like most Czech cities, the tragic events of the 20th century – World Wars I and II followed by decades of communist rule – meant that Liberec suffered greatly. But being situated as it was in the Sudetenland meant Liberec suffered even more than most other Czech towns. The majority of the population in the Sudetenland was historically German, and Liberec was no exception. After World War II, the German population of former Czechoslovakia was expelled, so Liberec experienced an especially sharp decline.
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Orderly and Humane: The Expulsion of the Germans after the Second World War
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of the forced relocation of German speakers from various countries across Europe following World War II
But as I’ve been writing in this blog recently as my travels since the pandemic have given me a renewed interest in Czech destinations outside of Prague, Liberec, like many of the others I’ve visited, has undergone a rebirth in the decades since the Berlin Wall fell. In this post I’d like to tell you a little of what it has to offer.
Liberec today is the fifth-largest city in the Czech Republic. A quick one-hour-and-15-minute bus ride from Prague’s Cerny Most metro and bus station, a trip to Liberec is a place you might want to consider visiting for a day trip or overnight stay if you’ve got time. This post will tell you just some of what awaits you. Fast Cars and Spider-Man
Liberec is sometimes called the Czech Republic’s cradle of motoring. Not only is this where the first car in the country was driven, but among its famous natives is Ferdinand Porsche of the famous car brand. And Spider-Man - yes Spider-Man- was spotted here, too, crawling on the facade of the city’s famous town hall.
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You probably know that Prague is a very popular filming destination for not only movies but for Netflix and TV series and television commercials alike. But you might not know that Liberec is probably second only to Prague in that regard. You can take a tour of the town hall that shows you the Spider-Man and other filming spots. And, while filmed mostly in Prague, many of the scenes in the recent Amazon series “Genius” about Albert Einstein were also shot in Liberec.
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Take a Stroll Through Beauty and Luxury
As mentioned above, Liberec was became wealthy thanks to textiles, and a stroll through the quarter that is home to the town’s luxury historical villas reflects this. There are actual walking tours (in Czech) that you can find online that will take you on a certain route and describe some of the villas for you, giving you a bit of their history. But if you can’t find one or deal with the Czech or a translation, just a walk through the neighborhood housing them will be a feast for your esthetic senses and for your imagination as you contemplate the lives lived by their inhabitants in the city’s heyday. Pictured below are some of my favorites, but there are many others that I could have included here.
Fun and Sun
Some of the villas are built on a hill overlooking the přehrada (dam) and reservoir, where you can also take a swim on a warm summer day. The view of the villas sloping uphill from the grassy “beach” is pleasant enough, and so one can only imagine how beautiful the view of the reservoir, surrounded by hills and evergreens is from the windows and gardens of the villas. And one of the things that's so wonderful about this swimming and kayaking spot is that it's right in the city!
View of the reservoir with kayakers and dam (přehrada) in Liberec
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In addition to the reservoir, there’s another place to swim hidden in the forest - a so-called “nature pool” whose water is supplied by streams running down the mountains that surround it. To reach it, you’ll have to take the famous number 3 tram (the one that runs through the heart of the town and hits all the major sites and practical places that I mentioned above) to it’s last stop going east: The zoo.
The Liberec Zoo
The zoo in Liberec is a favorite destination for locals and visitors alike, and it’s highly rated. Getting there on the tram will take you through one of the loveliest neighborhoods in the city - the one filled with some of the most spectacular villas I talked about - along an avenue lined with trees between which the tram runs. It’s incredibly picturesque.
Entry to the Liberec zoo
The ride to the zoo on the number three tram will also pass by the Technical Museum, the Regional Gallery (located in the town's former spa) and the North Bohemian Museum (pictured earlier in this post).
Ski and Hike
With all the mountains surrounding it, of course there’s plenty of skiing in and near Liberec, both downhill and cross-country. In the opposite direction from the zoo, taking the number 3 tram all the way to its other end will get you to the famous Jested tower built on top of a summit laced with ski trails and slopes that the whole family can enjoy. At the base of the tower there are restaurants to re-energize you after all of the skiing, as well as a restaurant in the Jested tower itself.
Ještěd mountain and TV tower in winter. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.
The Czech Republic has some of the world’s most well-marked and well-maintained hiking trails in the world, and the mountains surrounding Liberec offer ample opportunities for hiking. The local train station (also conveniently located on the number 3 tram line and across from the bus station) has regular connections to villages and stops outside of the city and in the foothills of the mountains.
When I visited, my friend suggested a trip to Oldřichov v Hájích, where we picked up one of many nearby hiking trails that took us to the lookout point of Skalni Hrad ("cliff castle") at Hřebenový buk, where you can see Germany and Poland from one spot. The hike was beautiful as was the point at the summit. Returning down the mountain you emerge into the picturesque village while you wait at the tiny train stop (I won’t call it a “station”) to get your train back to Liberec, a short 10-minute ride away) for a late lunch followed by a dip in the reservoir and a little sunbathing before dinner in warmer months.
The train "station" in Oldrichov
A World-Class Town Hall
Probably one of the most photographed sites in Liberec is its town hall, mainly because of its striking appearance and size. Intricately sculpted and decorated, dominating the town’s main square, this building is certainly the centerpiece of Liberec.
Not far behind it stands the city’s theater, and just beyond it is the municipal library (pictured ealier). It stands on the spot of a former synagogue, which has sadly been lost.
In addition to the town hall, the main square is lined with beautiful … buildings which are now filled with trendy cafes and restaurants. There’s also a good coffee shop on the square directly opposite the town hall which roasts and sells its own beans in wide varieties.
There’s even an Art Deco building on the square housing the Praha Hotel, and behind it is the … church with a soaring tower. Peep inside for a look at some gorgeous Gothic carving.
Anthony the Great Church in Liberec
Between the library and theater is an exhibition space with a fabulous interior that was once a gorgeous Old World, the Post Cafe (Kavárna Pošta). It's normally closed to the public, but if there's an exhibition on, pop in to imagine times gone by. Near this place is the Liberec Tourist Information Center as well as the post office. Stop in the info center to get some maps, town info and post cards and mail them at the nearby post office. The tourist center also has info on hiking and skiing and other activities.
The New Synagogue in Liberec (Nová synagoga)
Just before the Nazi occupation of former Czechoslovakia in 1938, there were approximately 1,400 Jews in Liberec. After the occupation, almost all of them left and were subsequently killed in the Holocaust. The Liberec synagogue was demolished in 1938 and in its place stood a parking lot until a new synagogue with a unique triangular shape (pictured below), was built into the new library of Liberec in the 1990s. The building (library and synagogue) is called the "Reconciliation Building."
Wine and Dine
Lunch or dinner in Liberec can be at a Vietnamese restaurant or an Irish pub. Or you can try one of the many trendy restaurants and cafes dotted throughout the city.
At the end of your stay, you simply take the number 3 tram back to the bus station and catch one of the frequent buses back to Prague (best to purchase your ticket in advance, as they do get full and the seats are assigned). The ride takes one hour to the Cerny Most metro station (which is, admittedly, on the far outskirts of Prague, so your journey to your hotel will take more than one hour). But the bus lets you out right at the Cerny Most metro station, so in minutes you’ll be on a metro back into Prague - you can reach the city center in 18 minutes. Contact Me
I hope you’ll consider a trip to Liberec when you visit Prague. If you have any questions or want mor information, don’t hesitate to contact me.
You can do it all in Liberec!
2 Comments
11/21/2023 09:45:48 am
Fascinating history, architecture, and culture blog, Krysti! I'd never heard of this city. I'm sharing it on Facebook. 11/23/2023 10:02:16 am
Thank you so much for your comment, Mary Jane! I’m glad you like the blog, and I hope you visit Liberec one day. And Happy Thanksgiving! Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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AuthorI'm an American who's called Prague home for decades—tour guide by day, writer by passion. With several guidebooks to my name, this blog is where I dive into the city’s stories, culture, and hidden corners you won’t find in typical tourist guides. YOUR DONATION HELPS ME KEEP THIS BLOG GOING.
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