Frýdlant Castle, Renaissance château in Frýdlant, Czech Republic
Frýdlant Castle stands on a basalt rock above the Smědá River, made up of a medieval castle and a Renaissance chateau. Around 1600 the Italian architect Marco Spazio added a three-storey wing with sgraffito decoration on the lower forecourt, along with a chapel and a late-Renaissance high altar. The round tower core dates from the early Gothic period.
Albrecht von Wallenstein acquired the castle in 1622 and made it the center of his duchy during the Thirty Years War. Under his rule, the building received many of its present architectural features.
The castle's name comes from the Ronovci lords, who used the title "of Frýdlant" by 1257. Visitors can see a weapons collection and a pipe exhibition, plus a gallery of paintings. The castle kitchen from the early 20th century keeps a collection of copper and tin vessels, and both stoves and the grill still work.
The tour covers 50 accessible rooms, including the Renaissance wing with its original 19th-century furnishings and the early 20th-century kitchen with working ovens and grill. The route passes through the medieval castle core and the chateau wings, so expect stairs and uneven surfaces. The castle stands on a basalt rock above the Smědá River, with the town below.
The castle opened to visitors in 1801 and was the first public castle museum in Central Europe. This early decision made it a model for many other castles in the region.
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