Heřmanice (Liberec District)


Hermsdorf village is a village in the Liberec District of the Liberec Region in the Czech Republic. It has approximately 250 inhabitants and lies in the historic Bohemia region on the outskirts of the Jizera Mountains. It lies near the border with Poland, roughly 6 kilometres from the town of Frýdlant.

History

An ancient village has been known since the 14th century, it was founded in 1375. The name of this village developed from the original name – The Village of Herman Family. In the early 16th century, a linen farm was established here by the family of Schwanitz, which held the village since 1544 to 1668. Until 1950, the village had over1,300 inhabitants, after the displacement of the Germans, the number of inhabitants dropped to 450 inhabitants. In 1960 Hermsdorf merged with a nearby village Dittersbach. After the separation in 1990, it has only 180 inhabitants.

Geography and structure

Hermsdorf is a narrow and tight shaped village. Its shape is mainly based on following the local Oleška stream. It is situated in a valley between two hills. The village is closely connected to the Polish town of Bogatynia. In 1900 a railway was built; it connected Frýdlant and Zittau. The railway was in service until 1976. Now, the buildings connected to the railway are dilapidating.

Sights

In 2012 thanks to project called "Cycle Routes in Hermsdorf, Dittersbach and Bogatina, a lookoutin Hermsdorf", a lookout was built here. The building started in spring 2012 and the grand opening was on 15 September 2012. The lookout is called “The Cucumber”. It is 25 metres tall and 5 metres wide. It is all made of larch wood. The number of stairs up is 99 and down 90.

Recent history

The village was hit by the floods in summer 2010. The whole infrastructure of the village was destroyed, many houses were damaged, several houses were demolished. One woman died.
Now the village is being repaired and the infrastructure is modernized. It is mainly financed by the European Union.