Statistická ročenka Libereckého kraje

Characteristics of the Liberecký Region

The Region is situated in the north of the Czech Republic. The territory includes northern part of the Česká kotlina basin, Jizerské hory (the Jizera Mountains), western part of Krkonoše (the Giant Mountains) including their foothills and eastern part of Lužické hory (the Lužice Mountains). The northern part of the region is bordering the Federal Republic of Germany in the length of 20 km and Poland in the length of 130 km. In the east, the Region neighbours the Královéhradecký Region, in the south the Středočeský Region, and in the west the Ústecký Region.

The Liberecký Region covers only 4% of the total area of the Czech Republic. With the exception of the City of Prague, the Region is the smallest one in the Czech Republic having the area of 3 163 km2. Agricultural land comprises 44.5% of the Region’s area; the share of arable land (22.3%) is well below the national average. On the contrary, a distinctively high percentage (44.2%) is reported for forest land.

The whole Region is generally mountainous, it has an upland character. The highest point is the 1 435 m high Peak Kotel situated near Harrachov in the Semily District. The lowest point of 208 m above sea level lies in the Liberec District on the place, where the Smědá River leaves the territory of the Czech Republic. The most famous peak of the Region is Ještěd (1 012 m), which is the highest point of the Ještěd mountain range. The climate in the north-eastern part of the Region (the Jizera Mountains, the Giant Mountains with its foothills) belongs to a rather cold area, while the western and south-western parts have conditions of a slightly warm area. Three rivers gather the waters from the Region: the basin of the River Ploučnice in the west, the basin of the River Labe in the east, and the basin of the River Odra (Nisa) in the north. Supplies of ground water are mainly found near the southern border, while in the north-east, there is a protected area of natural accumulation of surface water. Mineral water and healing peat sources are also present in the Region.

Regarding raw materials, the Region is rich in foundry and glass sands of good quality. In the past, it was important for its ornamental and building stone (e.g. granite from Liberec, chalk slate from Železný Brod, quality basalt and quartzite, etc.), which were mined and processed there. Nowadays, the quarrying focuses on mining of sand, gravel and broken stone aggregates. The coal deposit of the Giant Mountains foothill basin reaches into the territory of the Semily District. Until recently, deposits of radioactive raw materials in the Česká Lípa District have played the most important role. During the past thirty years, mining and processing of uranium ore caused big economic, social and ecological changes in the area. In 1990 the deep mining was finished and in 1993 also chemical mining of uranium was closed down, the liquidation of which will probably last several tens of years.

As at 31 December 2003, the population of the Liberecký Region was 427 096 (4.2% of the CR’s population), ranking the Region second smallest in the country. The average population density is 135.1 inhabitants per km2, which is slightly above the national average. The highest density can be found in the Jablonec nad Nisou District (219 inhabitants per km2) and the Liberec District (171 inhabitants per km2). There are 216 municipalities in the Region, with the average municipality area 14.6 km2. The percentage of population living in municipalities under 500 inhabitants is 5.9%. The percentage of urban population is 78.0%. A lower percentage of urban population is reported only for the Semily District (59.8%). The main centre of the Region is Liberec with nearly a hundred thousand inhabitants. The second largest town in the Region is Jablonec nad Nisou, whose population amounts to 45 thousand.

The demographic development of the Liberecký Region is rather similar to that observed in other Regions. The population age structure is slightly younger when compared to the Czech Republic's average. The average age in the Region is 38.9 years, which is by 0.7 years less than the national average. Although the overall decrease of population in 1995 - 2002 was 1 977 persons, the Liberecký Region as a whole keeps more favourable natural and migration development of population in comparison with the national average. The distribution of population by age varies significantly in the individual areas of the Region. The population of the Česká Lípa area ranks among the youngest in the CR, while the population of the Semily and Turnov area among the oldest. The average age of population in the Region is gradually increasing owing to a low birth rate.

The economic structure of the Liberecký Region is principally of industrial nature. The developed industries include manufacture of glass, imitation jewellery, production and processing of plastics, machinery, and manufacturing closely tied with manufacture of motor vehicles. Owing to being gradually phased out in the past, the traditional manufacture of textiles has recently lost its dominant role. The agriculture, which functions, in fact, just as a supplementary branch of the economic structure, grows mainly cereals and forage crops for cattle breeding. In relation to the new market conditions after 1990, there was a huge development of small and medium-size enterprises focusing primarily on the production for automobile industry, construction and services. Mostly in the second half of 1990s many foreign companies came that build on traditions and qualified labour force of the Region. Recently, trade and transport have achieved a significantly greater role in the economy of the Region. To make the list complete, tourism is also a major contributor to the Region’s economy.

In 2002, the gross domestic product per capita was 81.8% of the CR’s one, which equals 50.5% of the gross domestic product per capita of the EU as a whole. As for the CR’s total GDP, the share of the Liberecký Region stood at 3.5%, ranking the Region among those with rather low economic performance.

As at 31 December 2003, the Region’s unemployment rate, calculated from data provided by the employment offices, was 9.48%, which was by 0.83 percentual point less than the national average. The unemployment rate increased year-on-year by 0.8%, while in the entire CR it was only 0.5%. As for the order of regions by unemployment rate, the Liberecký Region ranked eighth.

The average wage keeps below the CR’s average that is, however, significantly influenced by the average wage reported in the Capital City of Prague. The level of average wage in the Region also reflects the structure of industry in the Region - there is a high percentage of female employees. The average monthly wage in the Liberecký Region in 2003 was 15 106 CZK per natural person.

Development of business much depends also on traffic accessibility. The total length of railways is 548 km; the density of railway network 0.172 km/km2 exceeds the national average by almost one third. The Liberecký Region is situated between two highway routes: the D8 highway Praha - Ústí nad Labem - Dresden and the D11 highway Praha - Hradec Králové - Lubowka - Legnica. The main traffic route is the express road from Praha to Liberec now being finished. With its two lanes in either direction, the road will be a quality link of the Region with central parts of the country. The other traffic routes include the north-south road from Svor via Česká Lípa to Mělník and the east-west road from Děčín via Nový Bor, Hrádek nad Nisou, Liberec, Turnov to Hradec Králové. Of the total length of road network, roads classified as class II and class III account for 26.7% and 62.2%, respectively.

An increase in road traffic has a negative impact on the quality of the environment, whose components vary throughout the Region. Combustion processes are a main cause of air pollution and there is still observed an impact of thermal power plants operated either in the neighbouring countries or in the CR.

Rich sources of surface water in mountain areas and ground water mostly in the Severočeská křídová tabule (the North-Bohemian Cretaceous Formation) make the Liberecký Region a major and perspective source area of drinking and service water of a national significance. Almost 60% of the total area are occupied by the protected areas of natural accumulation of water Jizerské hory, Krkonoše, and the North-Bohemian Cretaceous Formation. The percentage of protected areas of natural accumulation of water is the highest of all the Regions in the CR, which imposes great demands on the water protection in relation to the economic development of the area.

From the natural history point of view, the Liberecký Region is a very important area and includes a great variety of ecosystems, a lot of protected areas as well as areas with interesting fauna and flora. There are 5 protected landscape areas in the Region: České středohoří (the Bohemian Low Mountain Range), Jizerské hory, Lužické hory, Český ráj (the Bohemian Paradise), and Kokořínsko (the Kokořín Area); 7 national nature reserves, 8 national nature monuments, 35 nature reserves, and 56 nature monuments.

As for education, there is a stabilised network of basic schools in the Region. Also, there are many special schools, providing education for learners of 3 to 19 years of age who are either physically or mentally handicapped, or suffering from sight, auditory, speech or combined handicap. Since 1990, the number of grammar and secondary technical schools has increased, while the number of secondary vocational schools has decreased. The Liberecký Region is typical of a number of secondary schools of art that reach beyond the regional context. Glass and imitation-jewellery secondary schools of applied arts are especially worth mentioning.

Not only secondary, but also tertiary education is provided - by the Liberec University of Technology. After 1990, the university experienced an increase in the number of both students and faculties. Besides two original faculties, the mechanical engineering and textile faculties, the faculties of pedagogy, economics, architecture, mechatronics, and interdisciplinary engineering studies were established there. The textile faculty is the only one in the CR.

Basic health care is provided by a network of out-patient establishments and pharmacies, the number and structure of which correspond to the needs of the Region. Acute care, care of chronic patients and physiotherapeutic care is provided by a stabilised network of hospitals (ten hospitals in total); long-term care is provided by therapeutic institutions for long-term patients. The most important health establishment is the Liberec Hospital. The Institute of the Arm and Plastic Surgery in the town of Vysoké nad Jizerou is an establishment of multi-regional significance.

There are two balneological centres in the Region to treat rheumatism and diseases of locomotive organs, heart, and blood circulation system Lázně Libverda and Lázně Kunratice (Spa Libverda and Spa Kunratice).

Social activity focuses mainly on care of old and overaged persons, who are taken care of in a network of old people’s homes, boarding houses for pensioners and houses with day care the services of which are used also by many physically or mentally handicapped. For those of our fellow citizens also services of many social care institutes are offered. A unique position in the area of social care of young people in the Liberecký Region belongs to the Institute of Jedlička (“Jedličkův ústav”). The system of social establishments comprises also of many asylum establishments and centres for people in need, which concentrate on treatment and prevention of addictions.

The Liberecký Region has rich historic tradition represented by many historic buildings and monuments and cultural establishments. The institutions of supra-regional significance include primarily the Severočeské muzeum (the North-Bohemian Museum) in Liberec, the Regional Gallery in Liberec, and the State Scientific Library in Liberec. Important cultural institutions are also Divadlo F. X. Šaldy (the F. X. Šalda Theatre) with the scene of Small Theatre, and Naivní divadlo (the Naive Theatre), the Zoological and Botanical Gardens in Liberec. A number of museums and galleries are scattered about the Region. Those interested in tradition of glass and artificial jewellery of this area can visit, for example, museums of glass making in Nový Bor, Kamenický Šenov and Železný Brod or Museum of glass and artificial jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou. Český ráj Museum (Czech Paradise Museum) in Turnov owns collections from the area of geology, mineralogy and documentation of goldsmith’s art and jewellery making, which are unique not only within the Czech Republic but also as for Europe. Important are also 257 libraries to be found in districts and municipalities. Stagi theatres (theatres having no ensembles or repertoire of their own) play also an irreplaceable role in the cultural life of the Region.

The Liberecký Region is also a well-known place as for tourism. Visitors, foreigners as well as Czech nationals, come to enjoy exceptional landscape, to see nature formations, historic monuments and other places of interest. There are many specific areas in the Region that are strongly linked to tourism: the western parts of the Giant Mountains, the Jizera Mountains, Turnovsko-Český ráj (the Turnov Area-the Bohemian Paradise), the town of Doksy and its surroundings, the Lužice Mountains and Podkrkonoší (the Giant Mountains foothills).

Frequently visited attractions of national heritage significance include religious buildings and castles, such as Bezděz, Zákupy, Lemberk, Frýdlant v Čechách, Sychrov, Hrubý Rohozec and Valdštejn. Many reservoirs and lakes are to be found in the Region, too, with the most well-known Máchovo Jezero (the Lake of Mácha). Visitors can use accommodation establishments with total capacity over fifty thousand bed places in accommodation establishments of various categories. Quite a number of individual recreation establishments can be found in the Region (weekend houses of one kind or another), especially in the Česká Lípa and Semily Districts. Important road and railway border crossings and many border crossings for pedestrians help develop the tourism of the Region.

The territory of the Liberecký Region includes also part of the Euroregion Neisse-Nisa-Nysa. It is a euroregion of three border areas located on the territory where borders of the Czech Republic, Federal Republic of Germany and Polish Republic meet. The Euroregion Neisse-Nisa-Nysa is the first euroregion established on the Czech border. On the Czech side, 143 municipalities were members of the euroregion in 2003. The entire area of the Euroregion Neisse-Nisa-Nysa has the area of 13 937 square kilometres of which the Czech part comprises 18.8%, Polish 48.9% and German 32.3%. About 1 775 631 inhabitants live there, of which 24.5% live on the Czech territory, 38.5% on Polish and 37.0% on German.