The restoration of the Renaissance palace in Frýdlant continues with the repair of the roof and windows

Frýdlant - The reconstruction of the roof, trusses, and windows is continuing this year for the renaissance palace, which is located in the extensive and architecturally diverse complex of the castle and fortress in the border town of Frýdlant in Liberec Region. The replacement of the roofing follows the repair of the facade with renaissance figurative sgraffito. The third construction season is starting, said Jiří Holub, the castle and fortress custodian, to ČTK today.

The facade repair helped in continuing with the roof this year, which was not originally planned. "The old sgraffito was restored until last year, and eventually, it was taken advantage of that scaffolding was already up, and we managed to secure funding for a new roofing that was indeed in a catastrophic state," Holub said.

The repair of the slate roof, trusses, and windows is estimated to cost about 17 million crowns, roughly the same amount needed for the facade. The custodian expects that all work on the nationally protected building, also referred to as the lower, old, or white castle, will be completed this year. "Visitors will notice a decrease in scaffolding already next month. By the end of June, part of the scaffolding on the right side of the tower should disappear, so there won't be as much scaffolding in the courtyard, and work will start on the eastern windward side, where many things still need to be finished," he added.

Even though the scaffolding still covers the facade, visitors can now admire the restored sgraffito from the 16th century. The custodian finds them interesting because they feature figurative motifs, which is not common. "For example, above the door, directly above the entrance, you will find the coat of arms of the Redern family, who took care of that house. There are some motifs from the Thirty Years' War, there are depictions of towns," the custodian said.

After the scaffolding is removed, the courtyard in front of the palace is likely to improve as well. "We would like to clean and reforest the area where the waterfall used to be, restoring its appearance from the 19th century. We would also like to return the statue of Albrecht von Wallenstein here next year. And the entire courtyard should be more usable again. Not as a construction site, but as a space for gatherings, concerts, and various events," Holub added.

The medieval fortress and renaissance castle built in Frýdlant on basalt rock above the Smědá River is one of the most visited monuments in the Liberec Region. Last year, over 60,000 people visited it. The castle has been accessible to the public for the longest time among the former Austro-Hungarian Empire's monuments. It was opened to the public in 1801 by its last owners, the Clam-Gallas family. This was just three years after the complex in Versailles was made accessible.