Frydek-Mistek

The history of Frydek-Mistek is that of two different towns, as they weren't joined together for the first time until 1943, and then for good in 1950. An industrial city of more than 65,000, it's located on the banks of the Ostravice River where it meets the Moravka River at the foot of the Beskyd (Beskydy) Mountains. The older town, Mistek, was first mentioned in the papers of Bishop Bruno von Schaunenburg in 1267, though it had been established at least ten years prior to that. Established from the start as a merchant's town, it arose on the western, Moravian, side of the river to take advantage of its location along the trade route between Vienna and Kracow and was known as Friedeberch until the 15th century. The castle and surrounding town of Frydek were built on the eastern, Silesian, bank of the river in the early 14th century, and are mentioned in writing around 1330. Frydek Castle was built as the westernmost stronghold of the lords of the Tesin area. The town of Mistek, on the other hand, was a Church possession, part of the Archbishop of Olomouc's estate.

The city's most significant historical monument is the Frydek Chateau on the steep Silesian bank of the Ostravice, originally built as a Gothic castle and then transformed into a Baroque chateau in the 18th century. It now houses the Beskydy Museum of regional folklore and exhibitions on Leos Janacek and Silesian poet Petr Bezruc. Near the castle is the Baroque Church of the Virgin Mary, with Stations of the Cross paintings from the 18th century, as well as the Gothic Church of St. John the Baptist, which dates back to the 14th century. Mistek features the Roccoco Church of St. John and St. Paul, the Baroque Church of All Saints and the oldest church in the area, the 13th century Church of St. James. Around the squares of both towns, there are stii a number of old merchant's houses from the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

Both Frydek and Mistek were known in the past for their craftwork, particularly in the area of textiles, but the 19th century brought rapid industrialization to the area, and changed the nature of both towns. The first textile factory appeared in Frydek by 1832, and then the Karlova Iron Works followed a year later. Just as the discovery of coal fields in nearby Ostrava at the end of the 18th century changed that town's focus to heavy industry, Frydek-Mistek was similarly influenced.