Severočeský

▪ region, Czech Republic

also called  Severní Čechy , English  Northern Bohemia 

      kraj (region), northwestern Czech Republic. It is the smallest of the country's regions. Severočeský is bounded on the north by Germany and Poland, on the east by Východočeský kraj, on the south by Středočeský kraj, and on the west by Západočeský kraj. The north of the region is dominated by the Ore (Krušné), České Středo, Lusatian (Lužické), and Jizera (Jizerské) mountains. Through a gap in these ranges the region's main river, the Elbe (Labe), flows north into Germany; its tributaries flow through and drain the principal lowland areas of Severočeský kraj.

      Corn (maize) for animal feed, sugar beets, wheat, barley, hay, alfalfa, and potatoes are the main crops grown in Severočeský. Louny, Litoměřice, and Chomutov okresy (districts) produce most of the nation's hops. Apples, plums, pears, apricots, and cherries are grown around Jirkov and Litoměřice, and Litoměřice district also has vineyards. Hogs are raised mainly in the southern lowlands, while cattle, sheep, and poultry predominate in the north. Forests occupy about one-third of the region but are restricted mostly to the mountains; they consist of spruce, pine, and smaller stands of oak, larch, and beech. Ústí nad Labem, the region's capital, is the largest paper-milling centre; Česká Kamenice, Mimoň, Liberec, and Albrechtice are other lumber and paper-milling centres.

      The Ohře River valley and the Mostecká Basin are the Czech Republic's richest brown-coal (lignite) areas, and major mining centres are the Most-Záluží area, Duchcov, Tušimice, Ledvice, and Užín. In the northeast some brown coal is mined at Hrádek nad Nisou in the Rye (Žitavska) Basin. Other minerals mined in the kraj include tin and tungsten at Cínovec; fluorite at Moldava, Jílové, and Klášterec nad Ohří; iron ore at Měděnec and Chomutov; and kaolin clay at Kadaň and Buškovice.

      Severočeský is the Czech Republic's oldest industrialized area. Its traditional glass, ceramic, jewelry, and textile industries, dating back to the 18th century, are centred in the mountains. Jablonec nad Nisou, Dubí, Teplice, Ústí nad Labem, and Nový Bor and their surrounding towns are the major centres for these industries. Liberec, Litvínov, and Varnsdorf are the chief centres for the production of textiles. Modern heavy industry is situated along the Ohře River in the brown-coal area. Most-Záluží-Litvínov forms the largest industrial centre, with steel mills, chemical works, and an oil refinery. The Ústí nad Labem area, with chemical works, metal refineries, and factories producing machinery, transport vehicles, glass, and leather goods, is next in size. Other centres include Děčín, with engineering works, metal refining, electronics, and food-processing plants; Teplice, with zinc refining, machinery, electronics, and food-processing plants; Liberec, with engineering works, metal refining, bus assembly, carpet, silk, tapestry, and food-processing factories; Jablonec nad Nisou, manufacturing automobiles, glass, and jewelry; and Chomutov, with steelworks, railway carriage, and food-processing plants.

      Tourism forms an important part of Severočeský's economy. Thermal and mineral spas are located in the mountains; the best known of these, at Teplice, has thermal springs and is the country's oldest spa, founded about 1160. Other spas are Korunní, Klášterec nad Ohří, Lázně Libverda, and Bílina. East of Bílina is the commune of Stadice, the legendary site of origin of the Přemyslid Bohemian dynasty. The Jizera Mountains in the northeast are a vacation area with camping, hiking, and water sports.

       Liberec is Severočeský's chief cultural centre. It has several technical colleges, several museums, a scientific library, and opera, ballet, and music theatres. Ústí nad Labem has a teacher-training college and a scientific library. To the south is Terezín, site of the Nazi concentration camp Theresienstadt, which is now the site of a memorial to the camp's victims. West of Liberec is the Renaissance-style Lemberk castle. There are also several regional museums in the kraj.

      Aside from Czechs, Severočeský has a small ethnic German minority population that is a remnant of the area's large pre-World War II Sudeten German population. Area 3,019 square miles (7,820 square km). Pop. (1992 est.) 1,174,721.

* * *