Praha (Prague)

The extensive complex of the Valdstejn Palace, gardens, grotto halls and riding hall built in the years 1623-1629 by Valdstejn's Italian architects is a very significant early Baroque memorial founded during the time of the Thirty Years' War. This concerns one of few works, which was entirely completed during the lifetime of Valdstejn and provides us with an idea of the style and munificence of his uncompleted projects.

Prazska informacni sluzba(Prague Information Service), Betlemske nam. 2, 116 98 Praha 1
tel.: 12 444, e-mail: info@pis.cz, www.prague-info.cz

Mnichovo Hradiste

Located in the campus of the former Capuchin monastery is the tomb of Albrecht Vaclav Eusebia of Valdstejn. Vincenc of Valdstejn had the remains of the Frydlant duke brought here to the local Chapel of St. Anne in 1784, together with the Duke's wife Lukrecia from the Cartesian monastery in Valdice, which was dissolved by the Emperor Joseph II.

Zamek Mnichovo Hradiste (chateau), tel.: 326 773 098

Bezdez

Originally a royal castle built in the 2nd half of the 13th century by Premysl Otakar II. Valdstejn acquired it after 1622. First he had it reinforced as a key fortress guarding the south-western part of the duchy. After military successes, he abandoned it by design and allowed Bezdez to be taken over by the Augustinian monastery from Bela. He prepared a monastery foundation for Mont Serrat Benedictines.

Hrad Bezdez (castle), 471 62 Okna, tel.: 487 873 131, e-mail: hrad.bezdez@spuul.cz

Ceska Lipa

Valdstejn acquired the confiscated Ceska Lipa estate in 1623 and soon established a convent of Augustinians in Ceska Lipa with a gymnasium at the Church of All Saints. He strengthened the revival of the provost of Cistercians at the small Church of St. Mary Magdalene. The city was an important residential centre for him on the western border of the Frydlant duchy.

Mestske informacni stredisko, nam. T. G. Masaryka 2, 470 01 Ceska Lipa
tel.: 487 881 106, fax: 487 881 105, e-mail: mic@mucl.cz, www.mucl.cz

Lemberk

Lemberk, an early Medieval castle, was built in the middle of the 13th century for the defence of the land routes from Bohemia to Luzice. It was founded by the Markvartic, an ancient noble family, from whom Valdstejn also owes his origin. The name of the castle - Loewenberg - explains the lions in the Markvartic coat-of-arms and in the Valdstejn coat-of-arms. Albrecht of Valdstejn acquired the ancient appanage site of the family as a confiscated property and later administered it as a Frydlant fief.

Statni zamek Lemberk, 471 25 Jablonne v Podjestedi
tel.: 487 762 305, e-mail: szlemberk@quick.cz, www.spuul.cz

Grabstejn

One of the oldest castles in Bohemia, it protected the valley of the Nisa and with it the main route into Bohemia. It was a significant strategic land point and the surrounding estate was acquired by Valdstejn as a confiscated property, later ceded to Count Maximilian of Valdstejn in 1633.

Statni hrad a zamek Grabstejn (Grabstejn State Castle and Chateau), 463 34 Hradek nad Nisou
tel./fax: 482 724 208, tel.: 482 724 301, www.hradek.cz/grabstejn

Zittau

Zittau, with its observation gallery in the tower of the Church of St. John (Johanniskirche), has been selected for its unique possibility of perceiving the (Catholic) duchy of Frydlant from somewhat outside, from Protestant political territory. From here it is possible to see mountains fortifying the northern border of the duchy and to realise the significant position of Grabstejn castle and Frydlant on key access routes.

Tourist Information, Rathaus, Markt 1, D-02763 Zittau, BRD
tel.: +49 3583 75 21 37?8, e-mail: tourist-info@zittau.de, www.zittau.de

Frydlant

This castle from the middle of the 13th century became the property of Albrecht of Valdstejn after 1620 and at the same time it also became the foundation of his principality, later the duchy of Frydlant. Valdstejn rarely lived in Frydlant, as his preferred residence was Jicin. Frydlant was important for him, however, as a northern buttress of the duchy, and he had it considerably strengthened by the fortification engineer Giovanni Pieroni.

Zamek a hrad Frydlant (Frydlant Chateau and Castle)
Zamecka 4001, 464 11 Frydlant v Cechach
tel.: 482 312 130, fax: 482 311 629, e-mail: zamek_frydlant@volny.cz, www.zamekfrydlant.cz

Hejnice

Preserved in the monastery Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is the field altar of the Valdstejn family.

Cirkev rimskokatolicka, farni urad (Roman Catholic Church, parish office)
Klasterni 1, 463 62 Hejnice
tel.: 482 360 211, fax: 482 360 299, e-mail: raban@mcdo.cz, www.mcdo.cz/farnosti/

Liberec

This currently significant industrial town was originally a village and still just a small town with textile manufacture in the second half of the fifteenth century. The small town itself was expanded during the rule of Albrecht of Valdstejn in 1630 as an important manufacturing and commercial centre. The short period of the Frydlant duchy was markedly important for Liberec, which all of a sudden noted a remarkably rapid development in its history.

Severoceske muzeum (North Bohemian Museum)
Masarykova ul. 11, 460 11 Liberec
tel.: 485 246 111, e-mail: muzeumlb@proactive.cz, www.muzeumlb.cz
Mestske informacni stredisko (City Information Centre)
nam. Dr. E. Benese, 460 01 Liberec
tel.: 485 101709, e-mail: mic@infolbc.cz, www.infolbc.cz

Turnov

The position of this city predetermined Turnov to be the crossroads of important routes. From here it is possible to continue in the direction away from Frydlant to Jicin and to Vienna, as well as to turn and move along the banks of the Jizera to the centre of Bohemia, to Prague. For Valdstejn, the city was also an important production and commercial centre. Already in the Middle Ages, Turnov was famous for polished semi-precious stones.

Mestske informacni stredisko (City Information Centre)
nam. Ceskeho raje 26, 511 01 Turnov
tel./fax: 481 366 256, tel.: 481 366 255, e-mail: info@turnov.cz, www.turnov.cz

Valdstejn

Forest stone - Wald-stein, an appropriate name for a castle built on a giant block of sandstone rock. The original castle of the Valdstejn family was built in the second half of the 13th century, later it came into the hands of another owner. Albrecht of Valdstejn acquired it from Smiricky, when he took advantage of familial ties with the Smiricky family and had himself declared the guardian of the weak-minded Jindrich Smiricky, the last male member of the family.

Hrad Valdstejn (castle), tel. 481 312 304, e-mail: hrad.valdstejn@cbox.cz

Hruba Skala

Originally the castle was built on the plateau of two enormous boulders. During the rule of Valdstejn, it had already been rebuilt into a chateau by the Smiricky family. In the eyes of Valdstejn, Skala was a site of extraordinary significance for its location, witnessed by the fact that he decided to locate his own archives here.

Zamek Hruba Skala (chateau), tel.: 481 389 681, e-mail: hrskala@iol.cz, www.hrubaskala.cz

Valdice

A Cartesian monastery was built in Valdice after 1627 by the Italian architects Andrea Spezza and Giovanni Pieroni. It was also designed as the tomb of the Valdstejn family. After the dissolution of the monastery by Joseph II, the duke's remains were transported and the area of the former monastery was converted into a penitentiary.

monastery - not open to the public

Libosad

Built at the end of a slightly more than two-kilometre long, four-row linden avenue leading from Jicin is a complex of fair courtyards and grotto halls called the loggia. This Valdstejn suburban entertainment centre was designed at the point of intersection of regional lines, at the junctions between Velis hill, Valdicka kartouza (Valdice chartreuse) and the axis of the park Loggia called the Libosad.

Jicin

The city was founded at the end of the 13th century, and together with other properties of the Smiricky family, came into the hands of Albrecht of Valdstejn in the 17th century. It became the administrative centre of the duchy of Frydlant, where Valdstejn established his residence, built a palace, and next to it the provost Church of St. James, a Jesuit college, seminary and gymnasium. He also established here a new city with a new church, the contemporary Church of the Blessed Virgin de Sale.

Mestske informacni centrum (City Information Centre)
Valdstejnovo nam., 506 01 Jicin
tel./fax: 493 534 390, e-mail: ceskyraj@consultour.cz, www.jicin.org