What to See in Liberec, Czech Republic: Free Audio Guide

Liberec is a northern Czech city set beneath the Jizera Mountains, known for its mix of grand architecture, industrial heritage, and nearby mountain scenery. It offers a quieter alternative to Prague while still providing plenty of culture and character. Neywo provides a free audio guide for Liberec with 54 narrated places.

Exploring Liberec’s highlights

MUZA | Severočeské muzeum v Liberci

The North Bohemian Museum began as the oldest museum of applied arts in the Czech Republic and now also holds regional and natural‑science collections. Founded by the Reichenberg Trade Association, it is one of the country’s largest museums. After a reconstruction that closed it from February 2018, the museum reopened on May 4 2021 and its tower welcomed visitors again on August 23 2022.

Oblastní galerie Liberec

Housed in the rebuilt former city baths (once the Kaiser Franz Joseph Baths), the gallery displays European art on a large scale—more than 21 000 works from the Czech lands, Germany, Austria, France, the Netherlands and elsewhere. It moved into this building at the turn of 2013/2014, opening on February 28 2014, and grew out of the art department of the North Bohemian Museum before becoming an independent institution in 1953.

Church of the Finding of the True Cross

This Baroque pilgrimage site was built between 1695 and 1698 at the request of Franz Ferdinand von Gallas, following plans by Marcantonio Canevalle. Johann Josef Kunze renewed it in the late Baroque style between 1753 and 1756, and the interior was finished in 1761 for the Feast of the Finding of the Cross. The church stands east‑west with its entrance on the west; to the north lies a Holy Sepulchre, a Way of the Cross and a Marian column. The site originally housed a plague cemetery from 1680, and the altarpiece by Franz Xaver Palko shows Empress Helena venerating the newly found True Cross.

Divadlo F. X. Šaldy

As Liberec’s municipal theatre, the F. X. Šalda stage hosts drama, opera and ballet. It is established and overseen by the Liberec City Magistrate.

Liberec Castle (Reichenberg Castle)

The present neoclassical appearance of Liberec Castle dates from the eighteenth century, though the original structure was completed in 1587 by the Silesian brothers Christoph and Melchior von Redern. A Renaissance chapel from the early seventeenth century is preserved inside the castle.

Church of the Sacred Heart (first)

This Neo‑Gothic Roman Catholic temple began as the convent church of the local Ursuline convent. Before 1995 it was used by the Czech Orthodox Church as the Church of the Transfiguration, and since 1987 both the church and the convent have been listed as cultural monuments.

Church of Saint Mary Magdalene

Built between 1908 and 1911 in a Neo‑Baroque style with Art Nouveau touches, this former Capuchin monastery church stands on the boundary between Liberec’s Nové Město and Jeřáb districts. It has been protected as a cultural monument since 1966.

Saint Anthony the Great Church

Located on Kostelní Street between Dr. Edvard Beneš Square and Sokolovské Square, the church’s origins reach back to 1579. Today it is a Roman Catholic parish church and archdeanery, housed in a Neo‑Gothic building that is a protected cultural monument, with the parish and archdeanery offices nearby.

Jezdec Castle

Only the ruins of this medieval stronghold remain on a granite spur of Žulový vrch above the Kateřinský Valley. Known also as Reitenštejn, it probably guarded the route from Liberec to Frýdlant. The southern approach featured a rampart and a ditch about two metres wide. The wooden structure left only cut marks in the rock and a rectangular hollow; finds include pottery, horseshoe fragments, part of a sickle, a crossbow bolt tip, door and window fittings, nails, and ash‑charcoal layers indicating a fire that destroyed the original wooden fort.

Villa Franz Bogner

This protected cultural monument in Liberec’s Staré Město district is a historicist villa built for entrepreneur Franz Bogner between 1896 and 1897. It was designed by Adolf Bürger, who lived from 1839 to 1901.

Liebigův zámeček

Also called Liebieg’s Little Chateau, this elegant villa lies near the Harcov Reservoir on Jablonecká Street. Created as both a family home and a representative residence for the Liebieg textile‑baron family, its design blends several historicist styles with artistic details that underline the family’s noble status. It has been known as the Villa of Theodor Liebieg the Younger and was registered as an immovable cultural monument on December 30 1987.

Strossova vila

The Stross Villa is striking for its ship‑like, rounded forms, a concept devised by German architect Thilo Schoder. Built for industrialist Franz Stross between 1923 and 1925, it is also referred to as the Krajská hygienická stanice.

Additional sights from the city centre

Liberec’s historic centre reflects its textile‑production past and multicultural heritage, with the neo‑Renaissance Town Hall dominating the main square. Families and nature lovers often visit the Liberec Zoo and the adjacent botanical garden, which add a relaxed, outdoor dimension to the city’s cultural offer. Just beyond the city, Ještěd mountain rises with its futuristic tower and hotel, a striking landmark that underlines Liberec’s close ties to the surrounding mountains.

Explore Liberec with Neywo

Neywo’s free audio guide for Liberec includes 54 narrated places and offers two walking tours and one bus route.

• Walk: “Reichenberg’s centre: puppets, giants and a reborn synagogue” – 2.61 km, 107 minutes, 11 stops (Naivní divadlo, Palác Adria, Vila Johanna Liebiega mladšího, Liberec Castle, Neptunova kašna, Divadlo F. X. Šaldy, Feast of Giants, New synagogue in Liberec, Saint Anthony the Great Church, Church of the Finding of the True Cross, Church of Saint Mary Magdalene).
• Walk: “Textile barons’ Liberec: villas, museums and a glass greenhouse” – 3.7 km, 119 minutes, 10 stops (Vila Franze Bognera, Church of the Sacred Heart, Ursuline monastery in Liberec, Liebigův zámeček, Technické muzeum Liberec, Oblastní galerie Liberec, MUZA | Severočeské muzeum v Liberci, Strossova vila, Botanical Garden Liberec, Liberec Zoo).
• Bus line: “Bus 36 through Liberec’s old centre” – 2.1 km, 9 minutes, 5 stops (Liberec Castle, Feast of Giants, Saint Anthony the Great Church, Church of the Finding of the True Cross, Church of Saint Mary Magdalene).

As you reach each point, the app tells the story of that place, allowing you to explore at your own pace with no group and no schedule. Download Neywo to enjoy these guided walks and discover Liberec’s landmarks whenever you wish.