The story of the Liebig family perfectly exemplifies the industrial boom and its effects on the development of the city, its new lifestyle and culture. The Liebiegs left an indelible mark on the Liberec architecture due to the fact that they were not only skilled entrepreneurs, but also enlightened engineers and generous patrons.

The founder of the dynasty of textile tycoons was Johann Liebieg Sr (1802-1870) who came from Broumov in Eastern Bohemia and settled in Liberec in 1818. His tenacity and hard work made it possible for him to evolve from a simple drapery worker to a small trader and eventually to one of the most successful industrialists in the monarchy. His business activities were not limited to textile production and Liberec. The Liberec factory Johann Liebieg & Co. was closely connected to the creation of settlements for employees known as Liebieg small town (Liebiegovo městečko, No. 13). The following people were involved in its construction: the founder of the dynasty by managing the construction of the workers’ house, his descendants – daughter Marie Liebiegová (1835-1914), by initiating the construction of the social facilities for the female workers’ children and the church of St.Vincent de Paula, partly his son Johann Liebieg the younger (1836-1917) and especially his grandson Theodor Liebieg Jr (1872-1939).

For their own use, the family built three representative seats: The Villa of Johann Liebieg Jr (No. 4)., the Villa of Theodor Liebieg Jr (No. 11) and the Villa of the founder’s son Heinrich Liebieg (1839-1904) (No. 8) , who is known today primarily as an art collector and patron. He was also instrumental in the construction of a tourist restaurant with a lookout tower known as Liberecká výšina (No. 7). The founder’s brother Franz Liebieg (1799-1878) left the company in 1831 because of poor health. After his recovery he established his own company in Vesec. He is also connected with the construction of the tomb (No. 2) at the former civic cemetery. His descendants are known primarily as generous contributors in the construction of the new Liberec town hall (No. 1) in 1893. In 1881 his son Ludwig Liebieg (1846–1909) bought the house No. 20/V in the present day street 8. března, which was built by the factory owner Adolf Schmidt based on the architectural design of Gustav Sachers on the site of the old post office.

The escutcheon displays the coat of arms of the family, which marked the Liebiegs’ newly acquired noble status. Johann Liebieg Sr. and Franz Liebieg Sr. were ennobled for their achievements in the industry; the first was awarded the hereditary title of Baron and the latter was knighted. The Liebiegs cooperated with a number of architects and engineers from Liberec and abroad. Nevertheless, the most fruitful cooperation the Liebiegs established was with a Nuremberg architect, Jakob Schmeissner, who deserves to be called their chief architect.

Museum of Fine Arts Liberec

Oblastní galerie Liberec - Lázně

Museum of Fine Arts Liberec is the fifth biggest gallery in the Czech Republic. It was established in 1953 and has been housed in the former municipal spa building since 2014. The gallery curates collections of more than 21 000 works of art from the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, France, the Netherlands and other European countries and is thus rightly known as the Museum of European Art.

Events (18)

11. 10.– 26. 1.Rosa Loy a Neo Rauch: Verwobene Sphären(Exhibition)
8. 11.– 9. 2.Hudbu jak vesmír rozlehlou, širou jak poledne(Exhibition)
8. 11.– 16. 2.Skupina 7 (Group 7)(Exhibition – Křišťálové údolí)
20. 1.(10:00)Baby herna - galerie pro nejmenší(Other events)
23. 1.(17:00)Komentovaná prohlídka: Rosa Loy a Neo Rauch(Exhibition)
31. 1.(8:00)Zimní artcamp: Za vysvědčení do Lázní(Other events – Events for children)
6. 2.(17:00)Křest odborné publikace k výstavě Hudbu jak vesmír rozlehlou, širou jak…(Exhibition)
13. 2.(17:00)Komentovaná prohlídka výstavy Skupina 7(Exhibition)
27. 2.(16:00)Dětská vernisáž výstavy Zsófie Keresztes: Trembling Empire(Exhibition – Events for children)
27. 2.(18:00)Vernisáž výstavy Zsófie Keresztes: Trembling Empire(Exhibition)
28. 2.– 1. 6.Zsófia Keresztes: Trembling Empire(Exhibition)
13. 3.(17:00)Double talk - prezentace současného umělectva v kontextu Zsófie Keresztes(Other events)
20. 3.(16:00)Dětská vernisáž výstav Krásný svět a Obrazy barokního světa(Exhibition – Events for children)
20. 3.(18:00)Vernisáž výstav Milana Kunce, sbírek Muzeí Augsburg a magistrů TUL(Exhibition)
21. 3.– 25. 5.Magistři(Exhibition)
21. 3.– 1. 6.Obrazy barokního světa ze sbírek Muzeí Augsburg(Exhibition)
21. 3.– 8. 6.Milan Kunc: A krása bude(Exhibition)
17. 10.– 15. 2.Jan Vochoč: Poutník životem malíře(Exhibition)

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Location

Address:Masarykova 723/14Liberec, 460 01GPS:50°46'25.8''N; 15°04'4.1''E[Map]

Contact

GSM:+420 723 588 829Phone:+420 485 106 325E-mail:oblgal@ogl.czWeb:www.ogl.czwww.facebook.com/OblastniGalerieLiberec

Emperor Franz Joseph I Municipal Spa

The decision was taken to build the municipal spa in 1898, to mark the 50th anniversary of the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph, as we can see from the commemorative plaque on the facade. The building was designed by Viennese architect Petr Paul Brang, who also designed the spa in Ústí nad Labem and the colonnade in Janské Lázně. Our municipal spa, built in 1901-1902, was mostly an attempt to improve hygiene, as when it was constructed it was rare for homes to have bathrooms.

Spa Gallery

The spa was converted into a gallery in 2011-2013, and was opened in 2014. The refurbishment of the Spa Gallery won it the Architects’ Grand Prix in 2013. When you get to the Museum of Fine Arts Liberec, don’t be put off by the large “Lázně” (“Spa”) sign. This is a reference to what the building was formerly used for and the gallery not only proudly flaunts its past, but even makes witty use of it in its collections.

Heinrich von Liebieg – Collector and Patron

This collection contains prominent works of art of French, German and Austrian provenance, mostly from the 19th century.

On the Waves of Art

An exhibition devoted to the fine arts in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia from the early modern period to the present day. The exhibition, which includes paintings and sculptures from the second half of the 20th century, designed to present some important milestones in our history. Against the backdrop of historical events, it introduces some leading figures from the art world, describes all the important creative genres, and showcases some of the fundamental moments in the history of Czech fine art.

The Golden Age of Dutch Painting

A captivating collection of paintings from the 16th-18th century, presenting examples of individual painting types and genres and at the same time drawing attention to the main centres of Dutch painting.

Temporary exhibitions

Temporary exhibitions are focused on all the forms of fine art and particularly on the art of the region and that of Czech Germans. Museum of Fine Arts Liberec accompanies its exhibitions with programmes for schools, creative workshops for the general public and guided tours.

Properties

Museum Specification:

fine arts

Foreign-language commentary:

German

Services and facilities: