Valdtejnv Jin – Architektura centra Frdlantskho vvodstv (1621-1634) Ulin Petr (2024)

This Czech-language book by architect Petr Ulin and historian Barbora Klipcov presents Albrecht of Wallenstein from a different perspective, not primarily as a soldier and politician but as a visionary who sought to realise his dream of an ideal city and domain. Following the example of German and Silesian principalities, he separated a large territory from eastern Bohemia and, through his connections, had it elevated first to a principality in 1624 and later to a duchy in 1627. Symbolically named Friedland, or Free Land, after one of its castles, the territory had Jin as its centre. Within a decade, the previously insignificant serf town became a vibrant residential seat. With the help of talented Italian architects and builders, Jin gained numerous valuable and representative buildings as well as park and landscape designs, creating an impressive project without parallel in the region until the nineteenth century.