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Liberec

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Liberec Castle

The North Bohemian district town of Liberec is located in the valley betwen the Jested Ridge and the Jizera Mountains. Its history goes back to the times of the merchant paths leading through this area. As the crossing of the Jested Ridge was highly demanding, it was necessary to create a resting place for travelling merchants. Therefore Liberec was gradually established as an open market settlement and it was this fact that determined the character of the town.

Town Hall

During the 15th and the 16th century this small settlement, first mentioned in 1352, gradually changed into a feudal town, its rights confirmed in writing by Emperor Rudolf II in 1577. The end of the 16th century brought exceptional developemnt to the town, the first stone edifices were built then. New, more prominent changes took place in the second half of the 18th century. At this time the center of Liberec consisted of brick houses in the classical style. The beginning of the 19th century saw the growth of the textile industry which brought the development of an industrial architecture. This fact lead to the acquiring independent status. At that time, many representative edifices were built and lent the town a majesty corresponding to its importance - Liberec used to be, after Prague, the second biggest town in Bohemia. There were 3 consulates, 50 textile factories and 60 factories connected with the metal industry, amongst which there were also those producing RAF cars.

Jested

Nowadays, Liberec offers many interesting sites. In downtown there are many buildings which are the pride of the town - for example, the townhall built in neo-renaissance style and finished in 1893, a symbol of wealth and the economical as well as cultural development of the town. There are also many attractions such as Liberec ZOO that keeps white tigers, magnificent botanical garden or a huge aquapark. Liberec is sometimes called "the town under Jested," whose peak, rising to 1012 m, is crowned by a modern tower which has become a dominant feature of the town. The project for this original construction in a shape of a rotating hyperboloid was designed by an architect Karel Hubacek and awarded the prestigious Perret´s prize. The building, housing a communication tower and a hotel with a restaurant, was opened on 21 October 1973 and has become a symbol of the remarkable town which lays underneath.

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