Czech Republic Guide
North Bohemia
Frýdlant
It was neither an old stronghold nor a new mansion, but a rambling pile consisting of innumerable small buildings closely packed together and of one or two storeys; if K had not known that it was a castle he might have taken it for a little town.Franz Kafka, The Castle
No one is quite sure which castle Kafka had in mind when he wrote his novel, but a strong candidate is surely the hybrid sprawling castle at FRÝDLANT (Friedland), a town on the north side of the frontier mountains, forty minutes by train from Liberec. Like his fictional character K, Kafka himself came here on business, though not as a land surveyor but as an accident insurance clerk, a job he did for most of his brief life. In Kafka's time the hrad and zámek (Tues– Sun: April & Oct 9am–3.30pm; May, June & Sept 9am–4pm; July & Aug 9am–4.30pm; 190Kč for both) were still owned by the Clam-Gallas clan, but its most famous proprietor was Albrecht von Waldstein, Duke of Friedland, whose statue stands within the castle precincts. Such was the fame of Waldstein that the Clam-Gallas family opened the castle to the public as early as 1801. The guided tour (up to 2hr) might be a bit much for some people, but the interior is, for once, richly furnished with period pieces and in good condition, having been a museum now for two hundred years. The complex is on a wooded basalt hill over the river, a short walk southeast of the train station and town centre.
If you want to stay, try the large, friendly Frýdlantcampsite (May– Sept) by a bend in the river beyond the castle, or the campsite (May– Sept) in HEJNICE, 10km southeast (30min by train; change at Raspenava), a village dominated by its towering pilgrimage church, with an attractive frescoed interior. Hejnice also has hotels and pensions; try the Lázně Libverda ( 
482 368 111, 
www.lazne-libverda.cz ; Price: 501-1000Kč), a small spa complex. You can cross the border into Poland just 13km north of Frýdlant at Habartice-Zawidów, on the road to Zgorzelec/Görlitz.