Liberec Region

Liberec Region
Liberecký kraj
Region

Flag
Coat of arms
Coordinates: 50°42′36″N 15°0′0″E / 50.71000°N 15.00000°E / 50.71000; 15.00000Coordinates: 50°42′36″N 15°0′0″E / 50.71000°N 15.00000°E / 50.71000; 15.00000
Country Czech Republic
Capital Liberec
Districts Frýdlant, Jablonec nad Nisou, Jilemnice, Liberec, Nový Bor, Semily, Tanvald, Turnov, Železný Brod
Government
 • Governor Martin Půta
Area
 • Total 3,162.93 km2 (1,221.21 sq mi)
Highest elevation 1,435 m (4,708 ft)
Population (01/2012)
 • Total 438,600
 • Density 140/km2 (360/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code CZ-LI
Vehicle registration L
Website www.kraj-lbc.cz

Liberec Region (Czech: Liberecký kraj, German: Reichenberger Region, Polish: Kraj liberecki) 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.

Administrative divisions

The Liberec Region is divided into 4 districts[1]:

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.[2]

Cities and towns

The largest cities in Liberec region include:

Physical geography

The region's landscape includes the Jizera Mountains, part of the Krkonoše Mountains and part of the Lusatian Mountains.[3]

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.[4]

Demography

As of 1 January 2012, the population of the Liberec Region was 438,600[1] with 214,983 men and 223,617 women, accounting for 49.0% and 51.0% of the population respectively.[1]

Economy

The Liberec Region hosts manufacturing, glassmaking, mechanical engineering and jewellery production industries among others.[3] 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.[5]

Culture

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.[6] 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, part of which remains from 1767.[6]

A Neolithic site dating to around 4,500 BC was uncovered in 2007 near the village of Příšovice.[7]

Lake Mácha near the town of Doksy is an important regional centre for leisure, attracting around 30,000 visitors annually.[8] 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.[8][9]

Since the region was for a long time part of the Holy Roman Empire, and later of Germany (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 Germans, prior to World War II.

Transport

The region is linked to Prague by the R10 expressway, which terminates in the town of Turnov. The length of operated railway lines in the region is 551 km (342 mi).[10] 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

The region is home to the public Technical University of Liberec, which was founded in 1953. The university, which originally specialised in Mechanical and Textile Engineering, added a further four faculties in the 1990s, namely those specialising in Education, Economy, Architecture and Mechatronics.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Počet obyvatel v oblastech, krajích a okresech České republiky k 1. 1. 2012" [Population of territorial units of the Czech republic, 1 January 2012] (XLS). Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  2. ↑ "Liberecký kraj Základní charakteristika v roce 2011" (PDF) (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  3. 1 2 "The Liberec Region". czech.cz. 13 March 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  4. ↑ "Flood-hit area in another close call". Prague Post. 6 October 2010. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  5. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014. page 9
  6. 1 2 "Liberecký kraj zřejmě získá dvě nové národní kulturní památky". Czech Radio (in Czech). 28 December 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "Neolithic settlement found". Prague Post. 18 April 2007. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  8. 1 2 "Odemčeno. U Máchova jezera začíná letní sezóna. Voda bude asi čistší". Deník. 20 May 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  9. ↑ "Na festivalu Mácháč řádili lupiči. U vstupu přepadli a okradli mladíky". Mladá fronta DNES. 24 August 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  10. ↑ "Doprava" [Transport] (XLS). Czech Statistical Office. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  11. ↑ "Technická univerzita v Liberci otevřela speciální vývojové centrum" (in Czech). Česká televize. 10 October 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
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