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.
North Bohemian Museum Liberec
Events (11)
- 25. 1.– 9. 6.Symbiosis(Exhibition – Křišťálové údolí)
- 15. 2.– 26. 5.František Štorm: Libero(Exhibition)
- 14. 3.– 2. 6.Za hranice animace: Voděná loutka v českém filmu(Exhibition)
- 12. 4.– 23. 6.Záhyby pohybu(Exhibition)
- 19. 4.(19:00)Filmové pátky – Kuky se vrací(Film showing)
- 24. 4.(17:00)Komentovaná prohlídka výstavy - Symbiosis(Exhibition)
- 19. 5.(18:00)Koncert klasicistní hudby z děl otce a syna Leopolda a Wolfganga Amadea…(Concert)
- 12. 6.– 6. 10.Karel Hubáček(Exhibition)
- 20. 6.– 28. 10.Jan Schindler: Ryté sklo(Exhibition)
- 27. 6.– 5. 1.Kniha o Jizerských horách(Exhibition)
- 17. 10.– 2. 2.Svoboda, romantika, kamarádství - 90 let trampingu v Jizerskách(Exhibition)
Contact
Phone:+420 485 246 111E-mail:muzeumlb@muzeumlb.czWeb:www.muzeumlb.czwww.facebook.com/muzeumlbABOUT THE MUSEUM
The North Bohemian Museum in Liberec was founded in 1873 as the first museum of the applied arts in the Czech lands. From its very earliest days it managed to amass some valuable collections of applied art from Europe and Asia, for which a separate building needed to be constructed. An international tender held in Vienna in 1895 was won by the design of Austrian architect Friedrich Ohmann, and the work was carried out by German architect Hans Grisebach in 1898. In structural terms, the building is a picturesque combination of various types of sacral and palatial architecture from the mediaeval and early modern periods.
BEAUTY + UTILITY
The exhibition presents the chronological development of European arts and crafts and the lifestyle of the middle and upper classes from ancient times, through the Middle Ages to the present. The exhibition also features interactive elements that relate to the development of selected materials presented in the exhibition, the use of various types of technologies and techniques of surface treatment. Visitors can for example touch copies of works of art and try out specialized techniques.
TOUCHES OF THE NORTH: Through the nature of the Jizera Mountains and the Frýdlant region
The exhibition presents the most significant natural phenomena of the Czech north through dioramas. The exhibition areas are complemented by several interactive installations, which can be used in a playful way to obtain additional information on the relevant topic or to enjoy the atmosphere of the animal world with the use of other senses like hearing, touch and smell.
LIBEREC FRAGMENTS
The exhibition presents the history of the city of Liberec. The introductory chapter is entitled The Birth of the City, where the main topic is the development of crafts, the acquisition of the City Rights and life against the background of epidemics and wars. This is followed by the turbulent 19th century, named From a Town to the Metropolis of the North, in which the central motifs are the progress and growing self-confidence of the city. This chapter is supplemented by a small section devoted mainly to production in the 20th century. One special section is entitled the Wild North, where exhibits from World War I, the Museum of Nazi Barbarism and iconic items from 1968, whose worth is that of relics, are exhibited.
PHOTOGRAPHIC GALLERY
Chamber exhibition area for the presentation of personal photographs, historical photographs of the region and postcards. The exhibition as a whole presents prints, negatives and other works in this field in variable thematic exhibitions.
AUTOMATOPHONES
The exhibition presents mechanical jukeboxes, most of which are fully functional, so visitors can enjoy them not only visually but also by listening to them. Among the exhibits on display, we can mention, for example, pianolas (made in Liberec and the surrounding area), as well as orchestrions, polyphones, small music boxes and barrel organs.
NATIVITY SCENE BY JÁCHYM METELKA
Unique evidence of the nativity scene craft of the Western Giant Mountains, which has recently undergone a complete renovation. It is a joint work of Jáchym Metelka (1825–1902) and his son Václav (1866–1954). The nativity scene is three and a half meters wide and features 250 wooden figures, of which more than a third are movable. The nativity scene is open to the public all year round.
CRYSTAL TOWER
You can get a stunning view of the most beautiful part of Liberec from the museum tower, which is a faithful replica of the tower of the original Liberec Town Hall, and its interior boasts the longest glass ladder in the world. The rungs of the ladder rise up out of silica sand, as that forms the basis of glassmaking, and, as they climb up (the stairs), visitors can enjoy an impressive video-mapping show of the history of glass, ending with the sky and a view of the surroundings from the tower. Get to know Crystal Valley.| Month from / to | Day in the week from / to | Hours from / to | Symptom |
|---|---|---|---|
| all months | Mo | - | closed |
| Tu - Su | 10:00 - 19:00 | open |
You can visit the museum free of charge with ticket from the gallery (no older then 14 days).
On the contrary: If you have ticket from the museum you can visit the gallery with 50% discount.
- Liberec - po stopách Liebiegů (CZ, DE, EN, PL) [Liberec-brozura Architektura-A6-OK.pdf | 4.47 MB | application/pdf]