Liberec Region (Czech: Liberecký kraj) is an administrative unit (Czech: kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the northernmost part of its historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Liberec. The region shares international borders with Germany and Poland. Domestically the region borders the Ústí nad Labem Region to the west, the Central Bohemian Region to the south and the Hradec Králové Region to the east.

Liberec Region
Liberecký kraj
Flag of Liberec Region
Coat of arms of Liberec Region
Coordinates: 50°42′36″N 15°0′0″E / 50.71000°N 15.00000°E / 50.71000; 15.00000
CountryCzech Republic
CapitalLiberec
DistrictsLiberec, Jablonec nad Nisou, Česká Lípa, Semily
Government
 • GovernorMartin Půta (STAN)
Area
 • Total3,162.93 km2 (1,221.21 sq mi)
Highest elevation
1,435 m (4,708 ft)
Population
 (2024-01-01)[1]
 • Total450,728
 • Density140/km2 (370/sq mi)
GDP
 • TotalCZK 186.939 billion
(€7.291 billion)
ISO 3166 codeCZ-51
Vehicle registrationL
Websitewww.kraj-lbc.cz

Administrative divisions

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The Liberec Region is divided into 4 districts:[3]

Districts of Liberec Region
  Česká Lípa
  Jablonec Nad Nisou
  Liberec
  Semily

At a lower level, the region has 215 municipalities, comprising 65 in the Semily District, 59 in the Jablonec nad Nisou District, 57 in the Česká Lípa District and 34 in the Liberec District.[4]

Cities and towns

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The table below gives an overview of towns and cities in the region that have at least 7,000 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2024).[5]

Name Population Area (km2) District
  Liberec 107,982 106 Liberec District
  Jablonec nad Nisou 46,226 31 Jablonec nad Nisou District
  Česká Lípa 37,483 66 Česká Lípa District
  Turnov 14,502 23 Semily District
  Nový Bor 11,412 20 Česká Lípa District
  Semily 8,081 16 Semily District
  Hrádek nad Nisou 7,932 49 Liberec District
  Frýdlant 7,388 32 Liberec District

Physical geography

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The region's landscape includes the Jizera Mountains, part of the Krkonoše Mountains and part of the Lusatian Mountains.[6]

The region was affected by flash floods in August 2010, with swelling of the river Smědá being one of the factors to prompt evacuation efforts in the region.[7]

Demographics

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As of 1 January 2019, the population of the Liberec Region was 442,356 with 217,791 men and 224,565 women, accounting for 49.2% and 50.8% of the population respectively.[3]

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1869464,647—    
1880487,504+4.9%
1890510,741+4.8%
1900539,404+5.6%
1910571,529+6.0%
YearPop.±%
1921520,393−8.9%
1930558,664+7.4%
1950372,813−33.3%
1961381,742+2.4%
1970381,626−0.0%
YearPop.±%
1980411,209+7.8%
1991425,120+3.4%
2001428,184+0.7%
2011432,439+1.0%
2021435,220+0.6%
Source: Censuses[8][9]

Economy

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The Liberec Region hosts manufacturing, glassmaking, mechanical engineering and jewellery production industries among others.[6] The region is part of the so-called Black Triangle, an area of heavy industrialization and environmental damage on the three-way border of Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic.[10]

Culture

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Ještěd Tower

The Liberec Region is home to 11 national cultural monuments including Bezděz Castle, Dlaskův statek in Dolánky u Turnova and the Ještěd Tower which transmits television signals as well as being a hotel.[11] 2013 saw the proposal of an additional two sites to the list, those being a glass grinding plant in Harrachov dating from 1895 and the Janatův Mlýn watermill in Buřany, Jablonec nad Jizerou part of which remains from 1767.[11]

A Neolithic site dating to around 4,500 BC was uncovered in 2007 near the village of Příšovice.[12]

Lake Mácha near the town of Doksy is an important regional centre for leisure, attracting around 30,000 visitors annually.[13] The vicinity of the lake has a caravan park and hosts an annual music festival called Mácháč, which was attended by approximately 8,000 people in 2013.[13][14]

Since the region was for a long time part of the Holy Roman Empire, and later (in 1938–1945) the major part of the region was a part of Germany as part of Sudetenland, the local buildings and the culture in general have been influenced by the Germans, also considering the fact that parts of the region were populated by a majority of Sudeten Germans, prior to their expulsion after World War II.

Transport

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The region is linked to Prague by the D10 motorway, which terminates in the town of Turnov. The length of operated railway lines in the region is 551 km (342 mi).[15] Three airports are in the region; Hradčany Airport, a disused military airport near the town of Ralsko, is the most significant. Other minor airports exist in Česká Lípa and Hodkovice nad Mohelkou.

Education

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The region is home to the public Technical University of Liberec, which was founded in 1953. The university, which originally specialized in Mechanical and Textile Engineering, added a further four faculties in the 1990s, namely those specialising in Education, Economy, Architecture and Mechatronics.[16]

References

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  1. ^ "Population of cohesion regions, regions and districts of the Czech Republic, 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  2. ^ https://www.czso.cz/csu/xb/regionalni_hdp Language - Czech, Access date - 01/30/2021
  3. ^ a b "Population of territorial units of the Czech republic". Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  4. ^ "Liberecký kraj Základní charakteristika v roce 2011" (PDF) (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  5. ^ "Population of municipalities of the Czech Republic, 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  6. ^ a b "The Liberec Region". czech.cz. 13 March 2011. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  7. ^ "Flood-hit area in another close call". Prague Post. 6 October 2010. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  8. ^ "Historický lexikon obcí České republiky 1869–2011" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. 21 December 2015.
  9. ^ "Population Census 2021: Population by sex". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office. 27 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) page 9
  11. ^ a b "Liberecký kraj zřejmě získá dvě nové národní kulturní památky". Czech Radio (in Czech). 28 December 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  12. ^ "Neolithic settlement found". Prague Post. 18 April 2007. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  13. ^ a b "Odemčeno. U Máchova jezera začíná letní sezóna. Voda bude asi čistší". Deník. 20 May 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  14. ^ "Na festivalu Mácháč řádili lupiči. U vstupu přepadli a okradli mladíky". Mladá fronta DNES. 24 August 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  15. ^ "Doprava" [Transport] (XLS). Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  16. ^ "Technická univerzita v Liberci otevřela speciální vývojové centrum" (in Czech). Czech Television. 10 October 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
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