Region
The Liberec region is a region in northern Bohemia which is very rich in natural resources. It includes the oldest national park – the Krkonoše National Park, as well as the Czech Paradise, the oldest natural reserve in Czechia. It further includes Kokořínsko, the Lusatian Mountains, the Bohemian Highlands and Jizera Mountains, as well as dozens of natural reserves and landmarks. It is the most forested and also the most populated region, yet constitutes only 4% of the area of the entire Czech Republic. It neighbors Saxony in the north-west and Poland in the north-east. Traditional industrial sectors include the textile industry, glass working and heavy industry, in the Jablonec area it is jewelry-making, but all these traditional crafts are now slowly dying out. Much like elsewhere at the borderlands, the Liberec area has also been greatly affected by the post-war expulsion of Germans, with 58 000 people of German descent having been expulsed from Liberec alone.
The region’s ecological situation is one of the best in the country. The emission of pollutants has gradually been decreasing since 2000, but the methods of local household heating and transportation emissions remain a problem. Liberec also has one of four industrial incinerators operating in the Czech Republic. The worst ecological conditions have been found in the Ralsko military training area and the Uranium mining area in Stráž pod Ralskem, as well as certain contaminated areas around Jablonec and Liberec. Currently, the controversial mining operations in the Polish Turów brown-coal mine are being discussed, and the operations have negative impact on the area, for example the resulting lack of ground water, excessive noise, dust particles, and soil displacement. Another problem is the presence of the bark beetle. Furthermore, winter tourism is damaging to the mountain areas, and this year the Krkonoše National Park has experienced unprecedented tourist activity (due to the Covid-19 measures). Unfortunately, the steady influx of tourists and their lack of restraint has led to permanent damage to precious alpine meadows.
A third of the farmed land in the Liberec region is being tended in sustainable fashion. These mostly consist of grass turf used for animal grazing, meadow and pasture. Such sensitive farming methods benefit the ecological stability of the Krkonoše National Park, as well as other natural reserves. Ecological methods of fruit growing and farming have also developed in the region.
The education index is low in the borderlands and in the Frýdlant and Tanvald regions. Liberec has the Technical University, as well as the Faculty of Art and Architecture. Cultural activity is most intense in the areas of Liberec, Jablonec, Trutnov, and Český Brod. In comparison to other regions, there is much cultural activity, the main cultural centers being Liberec and the neighboring Jablonec nad Nisou. Liberec also features a number of theaters, as well as the Regional Gallery in Liberec, Prostor 228, Galerie 50°47’55.9”N 14°57’22. 6” E, Studna gallery, or the Malá Výstavní Síň. In Jablonec, there is the city gallery MY, PLAC, Galerie N, Galerie Kaplička, Jablonecký Kinofest, and the Filmový Klub Jabonec. A group of locals are attempting to save the old Zauhlovačka coal and water tower in Vratislavice nad Nisou. The Wohlmannův Statek is getting to be very active in and around Václavice, and the contributory organization Kultura Česká Lípa operates in the city of Česká Lípa.
Other cultural organization which focus on ecological and educational activities include: ČSOP Armillaria, Jizersko - ještědský horský spolek, Středisko ekologické výchovy Český Ráj, Silent Spring, z.s., Liga ekologických alternativ, Čmelák - Společnost přátel přírody, Ještěrka - Život pod Ještědem, o.s., Ekocentrum Oldřichov v Hájích, Nadace Ivana Dejmala pro ochranu přírody, Společnost pro Jizerské hory, ČSOP při Správě CHKO Jizerské hory, Jánské kameny – Johannisstein, Městské středisko ekologické výchovy DIVIZNA, Bzovský okrašlovací spolek, ČSOP Meles, ČSOP Stezka, Ochrana Klokočských skal, z. s., Český svaz ochránců přírody Podještědí, Enkláva Sychrov, Naše Kosmonosy.
