Frýdlant
Hrad a zámek Frýdlant, Zámecká 401, 464 11 Frýdlant
Tel. +420 482 312 130
   This mighty, early Gothic castle was built by the powerful family of Ronovec, within whose
period the center of the cylindrical tower was created. This tower, until today, dominates
the whole structure. In 1278 the Frýdlant castle was passed over to the nobility of
Biberštejn, who extended it to other buildings. The shape of the exterior was substantially
changed by the Renaissance, particularly in the second half of the 16th century when the
Italian architect Marco Spazio built a one story manor with Renaissance gables and graffiti
decorated facades under the castle. The exterior of the standing buildings must have been
adapted to the new style of architecture.
   After the battle of White mountain (1620) the
estate was obtained by Albrecht of Valdštejn. After his assassination the manor was
obtained by Matyáš Gallas, the commander in chief of the imperial army. After fires in the
manor, an early Baroque reconstruction took place. The historical construction
interventions started to be projected into the architecture of the castle and the manor in
the 19th century. What is really remarkable is that the collections in the castle were
openly accessible to the public as early as 1801.
   In Frýdlant, visitors go through more than fifty accessible interiors, the guided tour is
therefore longer and more demanding.
Many rooms have outstanding historical decorations. Interiors are equipped with furniture
from the past four centuries. There are ceramics and china, abundant armory, and to a
smaller extent other collections. Among the curiosities are two hundred pipes. The castle
kitchen, with a rare collection of copper and tin plates, dates back to the about 1900.
Both the stoves and grills still work.