LIBEREC

A major industrial and administrative center of North Bohemia, Liberec lies between the Jizerske Mountains and the Jested ridge, with the Jested peak rising just to the south of the city. The first appearance of the city in writing comes from the year 1352, in church records revealing that the little village on the Nisa River already had a parish church and that it was a trade center occupyimg a valuable spot on overland trade routes. At the time the town was in the hands of the Bilberstein family residing in Frydlant Castle to the north. The city is just a few kilometers from the border with Germany, and for a long time was a primarily ethnic German city.

The town grew quickly over the 15th and 16th centuries and became the administrative center for the region by the middle of the 16th century, and soon after saw its first immigration of (German) textile workers in 1579. Over the next 400 years, Liberec (or Reichenberg, as it was known in German) was to become one of the major centers for the textile industry. This was two years after Emperor Rudolph II granted the town a seal and other mercantile rights.

Liberec then came under the Redern family from Frydlant, who were responsible for a large amount of construction in the town, such as the church of St. Anthony from 1579 to 1588, constructed by Marco Spazzio di Lancio, though its current neo-Gothic appearance came later when the tower was raised to a height of 70 meters. The earliest part of the castle, known as the old or Reder wing, was built from 1583 to 1587, and then a Renaissance chapel and tower were added to the Renaissance chateau in 1604-06. The original town hall was completed in 1603, and the town's square was paved. The town's growth continued under Albrecht of Wallenstein, who promoted the development of the textile industry in the town and built housing for the craftsmen in the newly-built New Town. These houses were constructed of brick and timber and continued to be built for years; three of them still stand and are known as Valdstejn houses after their originator (Wallenstein).

The most notable landmark in Liberec, however, is the neo-Renaissance town hall built to replace the older one and completed in 1893. The town hall was built to resemble the same edifice in Vienna by an architect from that city, F. Neumann, symbolizing the city's loyalty to the empire's German-speaking capital. The town hall's three copper cupolas and grand cathedral-like design tower over the main square, which it just so happens is named after Edvard Benes, the president who issued the post-war decrees expelling the Sudeten Germans. On a lighter note, the city also features the country's oldest zoo and a hotel/restaurant on top of the Jested peak that offers views into both Poland and Germany.