It’s September 1938, and Europe was approaching its biggest crisis in 20 years.

Appeasement and the route to war is how history in British schools traditionally references the period.

Neville Chamberlain’s Munich Agreement awarded the city of Liberec to Nazi Germany and the UK attained ‘peace for our time’.

In 1939, Liberec had became the capital of Sudetenland or German Bohemia – also known as Reichenberg.

The Nazi regime argued that these lands – German-settled since the Middle Ages – were rightfully part of its new Reich. The Czechs meanwhile saw the area as being an integral part of the Duchy and Kingdom of Bohemia.

As Europe approached war in 1939 most of the Czech population fled Liberec or were expelled by the Third Reich government security forces.

After World War II, the city of Liberec once again became a part of Czechoslovakia and roles were reversed – nearly all of the city’s German population were expelled.

At the end of World War II and with the liberation of Czechoslovakia, Liberec took on the character of a Czech city. A series of Czechoslovak government decrees, edicts, laws and statutes were proclaimed by the Czech Parliament following the revocation of the Munich Agreement at Westminster.

Football in Liberec had been linked to German culture for many years.

The first footballing predecessor of Liberec was Reichenberger Fussballklub which was founded in 1899 and later renamed Reichenberger Sportklub.

In the years that followed the end of the war the German naming convention of football clubs were removed. Clubs were renamed on Slavic or communistic cultural lines.

In 1958, a decision was taken to merge two older Liberec football clubs ‘Jiskra and Slavoj’ into a single team that had the potential to win a spot in the Czechoslovak First League – I. liga.

While football had been played at the U Nisy Stadium since 1933, TJ Slovan Liberec were not formed until 12th July 1958. The club was formed along strictly communist lines of physical fitness and discipline – values that mirrored the USSR culture of physical education fitness and unity.

With this naming convention, the football club affirmed the Czech character of the club as well as the Slavic region and the communist period.

In 1995, Slovan returned to its former name of FC Slovan Liberec.

One crucial symbol still ties Slovan Liberec to its communist era past and local civic tradition. The club colours of blue and white represent that of the city flag of Liberec. But the crest is a reference to Ještěd mountain near Liberec with its famous television tower on top

At 1,012 m high this mountain is the symbol of the city of Liberec.

On the summit is the Ještěd Tower restaurant, a hotel and the television tower that was designed by architect Karel Hubacek between 1966 and 1973. It was, during the communist era, an observation tower, a state transmission tower as well as a hotel for dignitaries.

These days its common to hear Slovan Liberec referred to as simply ‘Slovan’.

Since last winning the title in 2012 the Czech title has evaded them but they continue to maintain a solid presence in the top tier of football in this part of Europe.