Frýdlant is a small town at the foot of the Izr Mountains, on the Polish-Czech border. Its main attraction is the magnificent Gothic-Renaissance chateau, which is believed to have served Franz Kafka as a prototype for his novel "The Castle".
The town was founded in the 13th century as a center on a trade route. Since then, the first castle and then the Frýdlant Castle, now the city's greatest attraction, started to exist. The stronghold was successively expanded and from a defensive medieval castle it evolved into a renaissance residence. In the 17th century, the owner of the castle was Albrecht von Wallenstein, a famous commander from the Thirty Years' War. Today the castle is open to the public and you can see there, among others, a late renaissance chapel, a baroque knight's hall, as well as a wonderful collection of paintings, sculptures and handicrafts.
In addition to the Castle, Frýdlant also has a nicely preserved small square with tenement houses mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries and a town hall referring to the German Renaissance. An interesting place, especially for Czech beer lovers, is the Frýdlant Brewery. Its traditions date back to the thirteenth century, and nowadays, apart from the production of beer, tastings, special events and visits to the brewery take place here.
