Frydlant Things to Do

What a great butterfly and perfect creature, sipping necktar while I could approach it with my camera easily untill a distance of maybe 0,5 meters.

I never came that close to a butterfly so far ...

and of course it pays in such a moment to have a digital camera with a program for close-up-pics, so the background gets unsharp, and the butterfly looks even better.

When you stand in front of the castle and have some spare-time, simply walk around the castle-moat and you will get to this great hedge of lovely wild flowers.
I was there in july 2003 and 20 or 30 butterflies were so busy and maybe also a bit "stoned" by the smell of great flowers, that I could easily approach them with my camera and take pics from a really short distance.

Lemberk castle is another great castle rather close to Liberec, close to a small town called Jablonne v. Podjesti ( 10 km west of Liberec )

The castle was recently restored and you may visit the interior only with a guided tour.

Photography during the guided tour is forbbidden !!

Frydland castle is open for visitors at the following times :

Daily except Monday !
April & Oct. 09.00 a.m.-03.30 p.m.
May,June,Sept. 09.00a.m.-04.00p.m.
july & Aug. untill 04.30 p.m.

Like most of the other museums there is also a lunch-break for the ticket-office.

A good reason to get there early, as organisation is a bit bad and confusing for foreigners.

You may walk around all of the castles moat.
That way you see the castle from all perspectives and may get an impression of its importance and great construction with a wide moat and several walls around it.

Watch your step while walking the small path around the castle, sometimes it is a bit slippery.

This lovely house is built outside of the walls and the moat and was obviously used by guards in the ancient times.

Today it has a nice restaurant inside and the public toilettes.
I think it looks great with its lovely Sgaffiti-facade - almost like a small castle.

Tickets are rare and english- or german-speaking tours are only possible upon prior demand, or maybe when-ever enough tourists ask for a tour.
Otherwise it is in Czech only and costs 200 Kronen.

The guide will let you in at this gate and make sure, that all cameras are packed and out of order !

Most of the buildings inside the castle have this kind of Sgraffiti.
You will have to get through several walls and gates, before you may enter the inner-castle.

In some of my books I read, that Franz Kafka thought of this castle, when he wrote his novel "Das Schloss" / "the castle".
It is about someone, who gets lost in the labyrinth of courts, gates and walls inside a big castle.