Grabštejn Castle

In the 16th century, the castle underwent a renaissance reconstruction, during which the chapel of St. Barbora, richly decorated and completely unique in Bohemia. It has been renovated in recent years and is currently open to visitors.

The two floors of the castle are furnished and accessible for tours, as well as the medieval cellars. The furniture in the living rooms is mostly original. Visitors are also given access to the dominant feature of the entire castle, the castle tower, which offers a charming view of the surroundings of Grabštejn.

The exact date of the foundation of the castle is not known to us today, however, in the 13th century Grabštejn already stood on the site where we can find it even today. It underwent a major reconstruction in the 16th century and experienced its greatest expansion during the ownership of the Gallas family (later the Clam-Gallas family). A major reconstruction of the castle took place in the late 1980s and was opened in 1993.

The road that runs in places below the castle is the imaginary backbone of the Duchy of Frýdlant, and in previous years Grabštejn Castle was used mainly to control the road to Bohemia at an important border point, at the clashes of Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic. During the Thirty Years' War, Grabštejn fell into the hands of Albrecht of Wallenstein, after whose death the castle was occupied by the Swedes until 1648. During the second half of the 17th century, the emperor demolished the walls so that the castle could never again serve as an enemy fortress.

Author: Andrea Štyndlová