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 interval is 20 minutes.
• 1948: the interval was shortened to just 8 minutes, making it the busiest line of the city public transport of the time.
• 1953: a new terminal in Fügnerova street is opened, so the new route is Fügnerova - Ruprechtice.
• 1956: the marking of bus lines reverts to numbers — already in today's form. A line under the designation 12-14 Pavlovice - Fügnerova - Ruprechtice began to run to Ruprechtice.

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, on the left side the theatre, and get onto Lieutenant-Colonel Rumyantsev Avenue. We also cross the bridge over Sokolská Avenue, because the slip road from Sokolská does not yet exist. Rumyantsev street looks quite familiar, with one exception. After the war the synagogue is missing, and in its place is a small bus station, where the public transport lines originally also began. There are still decades left until the construction of the library. The Tržní náměstí (Market Square) we would also recognise with difficulty. Some older houses remained, but instead of the swimming pool and the shopping centre there are light-industry buildings. The triangular shape of the square, however, is already apparent. Ruprechtická street is finally very familiar. Most of the adjacent houses exist as today, and the names U Jelena and U Beránka already figure here. Only the pub U Jelena still operates, however; the Beránek was demolished in 1945 so as not to obstruct traffic. The name of the stop nonetheless remains to this day. Along the familiar street we reach all the way to náměstí Míru (Peace Square), which is somewhat less built up. Moreover it allows buses to turn around, so we have the terminus here and set off back again along Ruprechtická street. The buses will get into Vrchlického street only in 1978.