Tom`s travels: Hrádek nad Nisou & Liberec (31/08/2024)

On a long day trip from Berlin, Ania and I decided to head to visit a couple of places in Czechia. Thanks to the Deutschlandticket, we were able to cross the border and reach the Czech town of Hrádek nad Nisou without paying any extra ticket. Once there, we exited the train station and headed on foot to the small old town. We first passed by the Church of Peace, built at the beginning of the 20th century by the Lutherans, and then reached the main square. Small but pretty, it was surrounded by some historic houses and held the plague column of St Anne at its center. Nearby, we tried visiting the church of Saint Bartholomew, originally dating to the 13th century but refurbished in its current baroque form in 1764. The church was closed, but at least they had left the main door open, and we could enter the foyer and admire the interior from the glass doors. At that point, we left the old town and started walking eastwards, leaving the town behind. A little over half an hour later, we came upon the Grabštejn castle, which we proceeded to visit after buying an entrance ticket and joining a Czech guided tour. We were provided papers with English information about what we were visiting. Originally dating to the 13th century, it was rebuilt in a Renaissance style and later had baroque and neoclassical refurbishing. We started the tour by heading through the inner courtyard and then through the rooms of the ground floor. They mostly featured hunting decorations, as was typical of the 19th century, but with some traces of sgraffito from the Renaissance here and there. Then we passed through the Great Hall, which featured paintings of the Gallas family, including the first member who purchased the castle in 1704. The family traced its origin back to Trento in Italy and was in the service of Austria-Hungary. Next up was the chapel of St Barbara, dating to 1569 and considered one of the Renaissance and early mannerism pearls in the country. It was lavishly painted and decorated, but we could only see it from the balconies, as going inside required a different tour. Upstairs were more rooms, including one with beautiful rococo frescoes and furniture, and a room with a Renaissance fireplace similar to those designed by Giulio Romano and Sebastiano Serlio. Our tour then ended with the climb of the tower, from which we had a great view of the surrounding landscape. Once back down, we left the castle and hiked down to reach the nearby train station of Chotyně, from where we got the train to the city of Liberec. This time, as we were fully in Czech territory, our ticket wasn't valid anymore, and we purchased another one for just a couple of euros. Once there, we left the train station and started heading towards the city center. The city seemed quite large, and at just over 100 thousand inhabitants, it's the fifth largest in the country. We passed by a large mall set smack in the center and then followed a main street through the historic town. The street was lined by tall, slim, colorful buildings mostly dating to the 19th and early 20th centuries. A beautiful mix of Neoclassical and Art Nouveau, which gave the city a really nice look. This is probably how many German cities looked like before the WW2 destruction. Liberec was also once home to a thriving textile industry and hence nicknamed the Manchester of Bohemia. We then reached the main square, where a food and music festival was taking place. There were tents and a lot of people eating and drinking, but we still managed to see the main sights. At its center, a little covered, was the Neptune fountain dating to the early 19th century. Once, right in the middle of the square, stood the old town hall in a Renaissance style, which was demolished in 1894 because it was dilapidated. Nowadays, where it used to stand as its plan is indicated in the paving of the square. To the north side stands the imposing new town hall, a beautiful neo-Gothic building with tall spires, built right before the demolition of the old town hall. After walking around admiring the rest of the square's architecture, we decided to find someplace to eat. We took a side street and opted for a place called Plzeňka - Dul, which had typical Czech food. I took duck with red cabbage, mashed potatoes, and the typical bread dumplings, knedlíky, while Ania had fried mushrooms with potatoes, and of course, both of us got some local beer too. After eating at the restaurant, we headed back through the main square and passed the Anthony the Great church. This was originally built in the late 16th century in a Gothic style but refurbished in a Neo-Gothic style during the 19th century. The church was closed, but one was allowed to look through the glass door of the interior. We continued on through the square in front, sided by nice colorful tenement houses, while in a side alley, we saw the Valdštejnské domky. These were three timber-framed houses built in 1678, 1680, and 1681 and are considered the oldest in town. Nearby, in the western end of the old town, we reached the church of the Holy Cross, built in a nice baroque style but unfortunately closed. Heading back through town, we then passed by the large theatre built in a Neo-renaissance style at the end of the 19th century and largely reminiscent of the one in Krakow. Once around the building, we passed a curious bus stop created by Czech sculptor David Černý called Feast of Giants. It is considered a work of art and represents how larger nations have always decided about the Czechs and their future. A bit further, on the eastern side of town, we then approached the city's castle. Originally dating to the 16th century in a Renaissance style, it was expanded and refurbished, especially during the 17th and 18th centuries, when it took its majority baroque form. An additional late 18th-century classicist building was built next to it, becoming the so-called new castle. After falling into disrepair following WWII, it was refurbished and used by a glass manufacturer until nearly the 21st century, while nowadays it is partly used as a school, restaurant, and small museum. From that point, we started walking northwards to reach the new town, formed as the city expanded during the 19th century, particularly due to its textile industry. Here were wide streets, beautiful romanticist villas, and buildings. Among them was the North Bohemian Museum was founded in 1873 as the first arts and crafts museum in the Czech lands and held in a building dating from 1898, which features a tower replicating the town hall tower. The museum was free to enter, and a donation could be given instead. Inside were objects and other exhibits from the area and beyond, dating from the Middle Ages to modern times. The exhibits were nice and informative, and the building itself was a beauty to see. In front of the museum was another museum, the Liberec Regional Gallery, hosted inside the former city spa. This beautiful neo-renaissance building was constructed around 1902 and served as the municipal pool and spa. Nowadays, it holds a nice collection of local paintings, and as the other museum was free to enter with just a donation suggested. Once we had visited it, we headed out and walked back to the old town. After a final round, it was time to head to the station and eventually get our ride back home.