Frýdlant Castle, Frýdlant, Czech Republic

Frýdlant castle complex consists of the Gothic castle with a high tower and a Renaissance château. There are exhibits, such as of Albrecht von Wallenstein, the Thirty Years' War, and an armoury of 1,000 weapons used for military and hunting. The castle includes the Chapel of Saint Anne, the Knights' Hall, rooms for the count and countess, and a working kitchen.

In the 13th century the castle was held by the Ronovci family until the middle of the century when Častolov of Ronov was forced to return the castle and other properties to King Ottokar II. The first written mention of Frýdlant is from 1278, when Rudolf of Bieberstein, purchased the castle and surrounding land from the king.

Frydlant castle and town went to Emperor Ferdinand I when Christopher, the last of the line of the Birbsteins, died in 1551. The castle went into the Redern family when Bedřich bought it in 1558. Several new villages were established and the production of linen cloth resulted in an economic boom during the initial years of the Redern family. Marco Spazzio di Lancio, an Italian architect hired by the family, expanded the castle in the 16th century.

At the end of the Thirty Years' War, the castle was possessed by the Swedes. They constructed fortified barbicans and strengthened the defensive walls.

In 1800 or 1801, the Clam-Gallas family opened the castle to the public as a museum.

User Reviews

Barbora Hammer (Barb) (7 months ago)
OMG. Absolutely stunning beautiful place. Big park, easy place to park your car for 50,- or below about 500m, parking place for free. Open toilet - clean Four different types of tours. We chose a kids tour because we have children. Approx 30 minutes tour in the newest part. The tour guide definitely likes children. I would love to do a tour inside the older part. Must see if you are around Frydland.

Quentin Smets (9 months ago)
We queued for 30mins through a narrow corridor, and when finally arriving at the ticketing it became clear it was only possible to join guided tours in polish or Czech (in July). English audioguides available though.

Martin czejalski (10 months ago)
Really worth visiting. It looks small but there is a lot to see and it’s all in really good condition. Gives you a proper feeling of the history and the place

Damian Silkowski (11 months ago)
Fantastically preserved castle. The vast majority of exhibits from the era. Saw two routes out from the four available (the Castle and the Palace) both great. And the guide told great stories (polish language). Strongly recommended.

Tomasz Rola (12 months ago)
worth seeing. Nice castle, great beer below castle gill

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Klearchos Kapoutsis

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The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.

Frýdlant Castle

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