Frýdlant (; also known as Frýdlant v Čechách, ) is a town in Liberec District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,400 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrative parts Villages of Albrechtice u Frýdlantu and Větrov are administrative parts of Frýdlant. Geography Frýdlant is located about northwest of Liberec, in a salient region of Frýdlant Hook, close to the border with Poland. It lies mostly in the Frýdlant Hills. The southern part of the municipal territory extends into the Jizera Mountains and includes the highest point of Frýdlant, the hill Špičák at above sea level. The Smědá River flows through the town. History Early history The area was settled by Slavic (Sorbian) tribes from Lusatia from the 6th century onwards and in the 12th century was incorporated into the Upper Lusatian (Land Budissin) territory, then held by the Margraves of Meissen. It belonged to the Lordship of Seidenberg (Zawidów), which in 1158 passed to King Vladislaus II. 13th–16th centuries In the 13th century the castle was held by the Ronovci family until the middle of the century when Častolov of Ronov was forced to return the castle and other properties to King Ottokar II. The first written mention of Frýdlant is from 1278, when Rulko of Birbstein, also called Rudolf of Bieberstein, purchased the castle and surrounding land from the king. Rulko held property in Silesia and Upper Lusatia and family members held court positions. There were important trade routes through the area, including to Görlitz and to Lusatia. From Görlitz, the Via Regia provided routes to Russia, Spain, and throughout Europe. Perhaps as early as 1304, and definitely by 1381, a moat and curtain walls were constructed to surround and protect the town; these were largely removed in 1774. The Birbsteins (Biebersteins) supported King Sigmund during the Hussite Wars (1419–1434). Frýdlant was taken by the Hussites in 1428. Between 1428 and 1433, the town was raided several times. Frydlant castle and town, also called Frýdlant Manor, went to Emperor Ferdinand I when Christopher, the last of the line of the Birbsteins, died in 1551. The castle went into the Redern family when Bedřich bought it in 1558. Since the ruler set the religion for an area at that time, Bedřich made Protestant churches and closed the Catholic church in Hejnice that had