Frýdlant nad Ostravicí

Template:Geobox Frýdlant nad Ostravicí (Czech pronunciation: [ˈfriːdlant ˈnat ostravɪtsiː]; German: Friedland (an der Ostrawitza); Latin: Vriedlant) is a small town in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the Ostravice River at the foot of Lysá hora, the highest mountain of the Moravian-Silesian Beskids. In the past it was an important ironworks center. Today it is mainly a holiday resort.

Frýdlant nad Ostravicí is also the seat of a Municipality with Extended Competence and a Municipality with Commissioned Local Authority within the same borders. The town historically belonged to Moravia, but two Silesian villages were merged within its municipal borders: Lubno and Nová Ves.

History

The first record dates back to around 1300 during the Germanic colonization. For most of its history Frýdlant belonged to the Hukvaldy manor of the Olomouc Archdiocese. Until the first half of the 17th century the inhabitants were mainly farmers and lumberjacks. In 1618-1620 the first iron-mills and smelters were built, using easily accessible deposites of pelosiderite and plenty of firewood from the nearby mountains. The coat of arms which depicts a blacksmith with a smelter behind him comes from those times.

Following the discovery of rich hard coal deposits in Ostrava in 1763 the importance of Frýdlant's ironworks declined, they later specialized in production of cast iron and later enamel ware. In 1871 the town was connected with the Ostrava region by a railroad (which continued further to the heart of the Moravian-Silesian Beskids).

Tourism

Today Frýdlant nad Ostavicí is an important holiday resort. There are many sport facilities in the town and its surroundings, especially plenty of tennis courts and a new sports center named Kotelna. There is also a small air-strip offering flightviews. Ondřejník mountain has a ridge soaring facility. Skiers can enjoy a few slopes in the nearby villages. The town also served as a starting point for hiking in the Moravian-Silesian Beskids which start to rise literally on the town border.

High schools

Two gymnaziums (grammar schools) are located in Frýdlant. The first one is Gymnazium of Frýdlant (renamed from Gymnazium T.G.M.) and the second is Beskydy Mountain Academy with language specialization such as English, Spanish, German, Latin, Russian and French.

External links

• Mikroregion Frýdlantsko-Beskydy - the website of a free association ("microregion") of settlements in this part of the Moravian-Silesian Beskids