Liberec Routes

• 1945: in the centre the line begins its route at the town hall; the terminal in the lower centre is still being prepared.
• 1947: the line was extended all the way to Rudolfov, to Česká chalupa; the interval was two hours.
• 1948: an interval to Pavlovice of 15 minutes is recorded.
• 1950: a circular character of the line is recorded on the route Radnice - Pavlovice - Kateřinky - Rudolfov - Harcov střelnice - Radnice.
• 1953: a new terminal in Fügnerova street is opened, so the new route is Fügnerova - Kateřinky (- Rudolfov).
• 1955: the line to Kateřinky bears the designation CA, while the services ending in Pavlovice are marked C. The circular character is probably no longer in place, as line F runs from the town hall to Harcov, to the shooting range.
• 1956: the marking of bus lines reverts to numbers — already in today's form. Line C/CA was assigned the number 13.

In this local-geography article I will try, using old maps and records, to travel back to 1955 and ride along this line. It is possible that history experts will clarify some of the details; I will be glad of that.

The Fügnerova bus "terminal" is only three years old. It gave way to a playing field. With today's one, of course, it cannot compare. Essentially it is several station posts in a row, a tram passing loop, a shelter and a stall with refreshments and tobacco. All this is in the place of today's tram stop. Of the large shopping centres there is not yet a trace; the space is airy, relatively green, and in the surroundings there are several grey houses, one of which is the "Dunaj". Into the upper centre we cross along Moskevská street. Apart from the junction with Revoluční and Rumunská streets, which is much more cramped than today, the way is not so dissimilar. It is similar at the town hall, where our next stop is. On the right side we drive around the town hall and the theatre and finally reach Sokolská Avenue and continue on the route as we know it today. Interestingly, only now does the tram track split off from our route, continuing one-way here into 5. května street. We pass under the old bridge without a slip road and descend onto Zhořelecká Avenue. There, where we meet the ancient Frýdlantská street, it is also markedly more cramped than today. The industrial buildings on the right, however, have been preserved. Zhořelecká Avenue and General Svoboda Avenue have had their unchanging alignment for hundreds of years, and it probably will not change for hundreds more. If we imagine away the panel blocks all around and a few new buildings, the whole character of the landscape has not changed all that much. Many First-Republic and later villas already stand. The Tesla, of course, stands too. We continue into the Kateřinské údolí (Catherine valley). That too has not changed much; the only difference is that the old factories are in better condition and it is noticeably livelier here, especially during the working week. Not for nothing is this place spoken of as the first industrial zone in Liberec. Even now, however, it is certain that further development will head into other areas.