Wild North

He came to Liberec as a child immediately after the end of World War II and describes the enthusiastic but at the same time very wild times of the resettlementof the once wealthy city. The new settlers were a mixture of bold enthusiasts, thieves and robbers and formed the foundation of the new society of the capital of the north. Fittingly a variation of the well-known folk song originates in these times:„Ó Liberec, ó Liberec, ukradjsemperskejkoberec“ (Oh Liberec, oh Liberec, I stole aPersian carpet). Just like Australia was founded by a company of explorers, adventurers and convicts, thefate of the regional capital was similar. According to Jan Šolc, the present-day Liberec still carriesits adventurous past in its genes, so to speak. However, the second and the third generation of the town dwellershas already developed a relationship with their town and begin to care forit. A kind of patriotism has been born in the town - at least according to his students. It is the most important post-war mission of the Czech inhabitants of the city –to not treat the city as somethingalien, but accept it as their own and behave accordingly. Testimony was gathered within the Living Memory of Liberec – Reichenberg project.