Frýdštejn Castle () is a castle ruin in

Frýdštejn Frýdštejn () is a municipality and village in Jablonec nad Nisou District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 900 inhabitants. Administrative division Frýdštejn consists of 11 municipal parts (in brackets population accor ...

in the

Liberec Region Liberec Region () is an administrative unit (Czech language, Czech: ''kraj'') of the Czech Republic, located in the northernmost part of its historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Liberec. The region shares international bor ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. It is one of three castles in

Jablonec nad Nisou District Jablonec nad Nisou District () is a district in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Jablonec nad Nisou. Administrative division Jablonec nad Nisou District is divided into three administrative districts of municip ...

. A typical rock castle, it lies on the upper end of a long

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

rock ridge. The castle dominates the nearby Jizera river valley and the old trade route from

Turnov Turnov (; ) is a town in Semily District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 15,000 inhabitants. It is a traditional centre for gemstone polishing, glass craftsmanship and arts. The historic town centre is well preserved and ...

to the north.

History

Frýdštejn was constructed during 14th century (exact date is not known). It is mentioned for the first time in a church source from 1385. Being owned by a Catholic it was besieged by

Hussites upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century upright=1.2, The Lands of the Bohemian Crown during the Hussite Wars. The movement began during the Prag ...

in August 1432 but its lord had agreed to cease hostilities and later joined the Hussites. The castle had changed owners several times. After a sale in 1556 it lost its function as a watchtower and at the end of 16th century it was no longer inhabited. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

marauders, deserters, and fugitives of every kind found shelter here. The whereabouts of the original entrance into the castle is not known. It is believed to be on the right of the tower through the ground floor of the palace itself, a castle lord's residence. Today's entrance was built in modern times. As there was little space in the castle, a number of small rooms were carved out in the rock, including a small chapel. The dominant feature of the castle is a large tower ("''

bergfrit ''Bergfried'' (plural: ''bergfriede''; English: ''belfry''; French: ''tour-beffroi''; Italian: ''torrione''; Castilian: ''torre del homenaje'') is a tall tower that is typically found in castles of the Middle Ages in German language, German-speak ...

''") built on the highest rock. The tower is the best conserved part of the castle. It is high, has a diameter of , and its walls are thick. The only entrance was on the first floor, about above yard level. The public has been allowed to visit the ruins since the 1890s, when the Turnov Adornment Club bought it from Prince of Rohan, who lived in

Sychrov Castle Sychrov Castle () is a castle in Sychrov (Liberec District), Sychrov in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It is a unique example of Neo-Gothic castle architecture from the second half of the 19th century. A large park surrounds the castle ...

. The club had the conserved masonry reinforced. Archaeological findings from this period are available in the Turnov Museum. Today the castle is owned by the municipality of

, which preserves its current state.

Gallery

Fridstejn.jpg, View of Frýdštejn Castle Friedstein004.jpg, View from a low point up the castle Friedstein006.jpg, Rooms built into the sandstone-rocks Hrad frydstejn dolni nadvori.jpg, Lower courtyard

References

External links

Photographic description

Frýdštejn on Bohemian Paradise website

virtual show
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frydstejn Castle Jablonec nad Nisou District Rock castles Castles in the Liberec Region Tourist attractions in the Liberec Region

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links