Liberec (German Reichenberg) is a statutory town in northern
Bohemia and a regional town in the Liberec region. It has
approximately 105,000 inhabitants and is thus the fifth largest city
in the Czech Republic. Together with the neighboring Jablonec nad
Nisou and the surrounding municipalities, it forms a wider
settlement agglomeration; Liberec is a founding member of the Nisa
Euroregion, and since 2004 its capital.
Liberec is located
about 91 km north-northeast of Prague and 99 km north-northwest of
Hradec Králové. The town lies in the Liberec basin of the Zittau
Basin between the Ještěd-Kozák ridge to the south and the Jizera
Mountains to the northeast. The foot of the town hall is at an
altitude of 374 m above sea level, the highest point of the city
cadastre is the peak of Ještěd (1012 m above sea level), the lowest
is the level of the Nisa in the northern part of Machnín (325 m
above sea level). on which lies the Harcovská dam. Natural water
areas are ponds: for example Vesecký (so-called Teich), Kačák
(Žabák) in Krásná Studánka or Seba pond (dam) in Janov Dole.
Until 1939, Liberec covered an area of
6.2 km², which today represents the historic center of the city.
After the connection of 11 municipalities on May 1, 1939, the city
expanded by another 23 municipalities in 1954, 1963, 1976, 1980 and
1986. After 1989, on the contrary, four municipalities separated
from the city. The area of the city cadastre is 106.09 km2. Of
this, 35.2% is agricultural land, over half of it is meadows and
pastures. Two thirds of non-agricultural land is forest land (39.9%
of the total area).