"Liberec/Reichenberg" a Liberec Travel Page by german_eagle

I took the chance that Good Friday is no holiday in the Czech Republic (unlike in Germany) and did a day trip to Liberec from Dresden. Since Feb 2005 it is an easy (but quite long) train ride at a really cheap fare (see my transportation tips).

I have been to Liberec a dozen times before the wall came down, mostly on transit to the Krkonose (Riesengebirge) mountains for hiking/skiing. I never thought it's a beautiful city and was curious to see what had changed since then. Recently I saw that my friend Michael (globetrott) provides an excellent page on Liberec here. His Restaurant tip about the Viennese style coffeehouse was finally the reason to go.

Honestly, I still don't think it is a destination worth a trip alone, but it is an interesting relatively small city, an eye-opener if you've been to stunning, touristy, crowded Prague and are curious what "normal" places in the Czech Republic are like. Looking back I regret I did concentrate on taking photos of beautiful spots, facades, interior only.

Finally, before you continue browsing (and hopefully rating :-)) my tips I'd like to provide some facts about Liberec.

It's located about 100 km northeast of Prague at the foot of the Jizerske Hory (mountains) and Mt. Jested (1012 m) at an elevation of 350 - 400 m. It is a small city with a population of approx. 100,000 and the centre of the Northern Bohemia region.

Until the end of WWII Liberec/Reichenberg was the biggest city of the so called "Sudetenland", a region where the German minority in the Czech Republic lived. After WWII the Germans had to leave their homes and were expelled. As always in such cases, this also meant a loss of wealth and know-how for the former centre of textile and glass industry in Bohemia. It is obvious that Liberec has a long way to go to reach the same wealth as in the late 19th century.