Is there Anything to See in Liberec, Czech Republic?

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Travel to the Czech Republic and one of the first things you likely look for is which cities to visit. Even though its castles and nature are just as captivating, cities are an easy place to start. Czechia, as its increasingly known, has a long list of entertaining city destinations for visitors to explore. The list may start with Prague, but as my travels there have shown, there are loads of Czech cities worth your time. Despite all that, even I was still wondering – is Liberec worth visiting?

At the very tail end of my last trip to the Czech Republic, I decided to spend one day in Liberec sightseeing. I knew next to nothing about the city, beyond seeing a few photos of its Town Hall. But the Czech Republic hasn’t let me down yet and visiting Liberec continued that trend. To see if you should add Liberec to your itinerary, here’s what there is to see in the northern Czech city.

Liberec Town Hall

For proof that there are things to see in Liberec, you need only look to its incredible Town Hall. With a grand neo-Renaissance design and sombre colour palette, it’s an intriguing looking building. I’d even argue that it’s one of the most striking town halls in the Czech Republic. It’s not one of the oldest though as it only dates from 1893. While it’s similar to the Vienna Rathaus, does anyone else get a bit of an Addams Family vibe from it?

Main Square

The Town Hall may be the dominant figure on Liberec’s Main Square, but you’ll want to look around the rest of the squre as well. On each of the three other sides, you’ll see a beautiful mix of architecture that confirms that this is one of the best places to visit in Liberec. A personal favourite from the square is the Hotel Praha, because its style always reminds me of the Grand Budapest Hotel movie.

Many of the city’s buildings date from the late 19th century, as this was Liberec at its height of importance. At the time, Liberec was essentially the second city of Bohemia, although it’s still one of Czechia’s largest today.

Besides the buildings, Liberec’s Main Square has two landmarks of note. One is the Neptune Fountain directly opposite the Town Hall that is quite the classic sight in Europe. The other though seems to a space for art installations; when I was there it was a bizarre sculpture made up of bones.

City Centre

From the Main Square it pays to go for a wander into the surrounding streets. Even if you just look behind the Town Hall you’ll find an impressive sight with the Neo-Renaissance F. X. Šalda Theater. Apparently, the main curtain of the theatre was designed by artist Gustav Klimt, something I had no idea about. Head the other direction from the square down Moskevská street and you’ll find plenty more historic buildings with character in the Old Town.

Valdshtein Houses

This was one of the Liberec sightseeing spots that I sort of stumbled across rather than seeking out. Only a few blocks from the Town Hall but concealed down a side alley you have the historic Valdshtein Houses. The three old half-timbered houses date from 1678-81 and a rare glimpse of Liberec from before the 19th century.

Liberec Castle

If like me you love castles, you hopefully know by now that the Czech Republic is home to some incredible castles. So I must admit, with those high standards I was little disappointed by Liberec Castle. It’s a little more restrained than many castles there and it’s also not possible to visit inside. It’s red and white exterior does do a good job of catching your attention however.

Harcov Reservoir

One of the nice things about visiting Liberec is that it’s easy to find quieter parts of the city. You need only head down to the Harcov Reservoir in fact. A ten minute walk if that from the city centre and you’ll find this gentle lake with a rim of forest right around its edges. At the city end there’s a clearing for sunbathers and a canoe hire place, plus quite a cute dam wall. Follow the waterfront trail to the east and you soon escape into peaceful, shady forest. 

Museum Quarter

Were I not staying in this part of Liberec, I may have never realised the so-called Museum Quarter. East of the city centre and north of the reservoir, the neighbourhood has the look and feel of a spa town. It immediately draws comparisons with Karlovy Vary, just not quite on the same scale.

As you’d expect, the area is home to multiple museums, including the Technical Museum Liberec, the Regional Gallery and the Liberec North Bohemian Museum. I have to admit I visited none of them during my limited visit, but it’s further proof that there’s more things to do in Liberec than you might expect.

What I did do in the Museum Quarter was wander about the neighbourhood. Resting on several hills and home to countless gorgeous homes, this is a truly pretty part of the city. That’s especially true during spring when the trees everywhere are bursting with colour.

Other Sights in Liberec

Despite all that I saw, there were definitely things to do in Liberec that I completely missed. Those include probably two of the city’s best known attractions. One is Ještěd, a mountain that overlooks the city topped by a tall spire. Whether visiting with the cable car or hiking up, it’s said to have some wonderful views. The other is the Liberec Zoo which gets quite good reviews. I’m just not much of a zoo person myself.

That should be plenty of proof that Liberec is worth visiting if I couldn’t fit it all in.

Visiting Liberec

To make your visit to Liberec a reality, you’re going to need to work out where to stay and how to get there. For comfort and value for money, I’d happily recommend the Wellness Penzion U Muzea. While I didn’t end up making use of the spa, it was tempting. If that doesn’t sound right for you, there’s a pretty good selection of places to stay in Liberec.

As for getting to Liberec, you have a few options available to you. While I was coming from the small city of Trutnov, chances are you won’t be. You’ll more likely be coming from Prague, where you’ll have the choice of a slow train ride or a faster 2 hour bus trip. One option you may not think of is to come from Jelenia Gora in Poland which works quite well by train.

Had you ever heard of the city of Liberec before reading this? Any interest now in visiting Liberec Czech Republic? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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