The State Castle an Chateau Frýdlant is one of the largest castle complexes in Northern Bohemia. It is a combination od medieval castle and a Renaissance cheteau. The castle was built cca. in the middle of the 13th century around the Indika Tower, which served as a marker on the trade route running through the town. However, the castle could not be further expanded because it was built on a basalt rock. That is why the Rederns, who were upgrading their dominion, also built a cheteau and a chapel near the castle. The cheteau building was not completed until during the reign od the Clam-Gallas, when a new, Warden Wing was largely rebuilt.
The castle was originally built in the Gothic style, and in the 16th century it was rebuilt in the Renaissance style. The interior is dominated by a large Knight´s Hall, which serves as a portrait gallery of the Gallas family and of the first Clam-Gallas. This hall was opened to the public in 1881 and the castle thereby became the oldest castle museum in the whole of Central Europe. On the second floor of the castle there is an armoury with a number of exhibits representing both cold arms and firearms from Europe, Asia and Africa. Also interesting is the extensice collection of pipes and the castle library, which is accessible to the public only on exceptional occasions. The Indika Tower whih reaches to the height of 49 metres also constitutes a part of the castle.
Another part of the complex is the castle chapel, whih is connected with the castle by a brick arc. Due to its robutness it forms a separate illuminated corridor between the buildings. The chapel was built between the years 1598 and 1602. The interior of the chapel is dominated by two major altars, one of which is Protestant and the other is Catholic.
The castle chapel is connected with the Renaissance chateau wing. The exterior of this chateau part is decorated with Renaissance graffiti. The interior of the Renaissance chateau is divided into a ladie´s floor with the Royal Corridor and gentlemen´s floor with representative spaces. On the ground floor of the chateau there is a large chateau kitchen with an extensive collection of copper dishes. The kitchen is still functional and on special occasions the visitors can have a taste of something delicious directly from the oven.
The last part od the extensive complex is a new, Warden Wing. In the interior of this wing there is a picture galerry with significant works by Czech and foreign painters. There are pictures by Karel Škréta, Václav Vavřinec Reiner and Petr Brandl. An interesting feature of the interior is also the rich equipment in the children´s room.
The castle and the chateau are associated with many legends, which are still told beneath the castle. The chateau is linked to the legend about Catherine von Redern and also to the legend about the devil, who lost in the cards ant therefore had to plough the rock under the castle. Since then, the rock has a ploughed relief, which the visitor can see even today. The castle is situated on a massive basalt rock typical of its column´s separability. There is a vast park around the castle and the chateau, the history of which dates back to the 18th century, whereas until then the hill was bare.
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Frýdlant