Frýdlant nad Ostravicí

Sister cities

• Radeburg

History

The first written mention of Frýdlant is from 1395. The town was founded in the second half of the 14th century during German Ostsiedlung. It was established as a market town that was supposed to be the local centre of trade and handicrafts. In 1402, Frýdlant was sold by the Lords of Kravaře to Duke Przemyslaus I Noszak and joined to Duchy of Teschen. Frýdlant found itself on the periphery, lost its position and became a mere village. The economy was also hit by the Hussite Wars. In the 16th century, Frýdlant was sold to the Olomouc bishopric and became part of the Hukvaldy estate. It was the impetus for the re-development of crafts. In 1625, the village received various privileges from the bishop Franz von Dietrichstein. During the Thirty Years' War, Frýdlant suffered from frequent army crossings. Between 1646 and 1648, the first hammer mills were built and Frýdland gradually became a centre of ironworks. The village later known as Nová Ves was founded near the hammer mills in 1647. In 1675, blast furnaces were built. Thanks to the development of the ironworks and the prosperous paper mill, the village was promoted by Maria Theresa to the market town again in 1775. The railway was built in 1871. Large fires in 1886 and 1890 damaged the market town severely. In 1948, Frýdland was promoted to a town.

Geography

Frýdlant nad Ostravicí is located about south of Frýdek-Místek and south of Ostrava. It lies mostly in the Moravian-Silesian Foothills, only the southern part of the municipal territory extends into the Moravian-Silesian Beskids. The highest point is at above sea level. The town lies on the Ostravice River, at its confluence with the Čeladenka Stream. The left bank of the Ostravice with the town proper lies in the historical land of Moravia, while the right bank with the villages of Lubno and Nová Ves lies in Czech Silesia.