More than 300 castles – many only evocative ruins – dot the landscape throughout Slovakia. These fortified places that often sheltered entire towns from rapacious invaders are poignant reminders of the perils of times past.

It’s not surprising, then, that there are so many castles in Slovakia, which stands at the crossroads of cultures, religions and conquerors. In the 14th and 15th centuries, three Slovak castles were among the largest in all of Europe: Devin, Spis and Trencin.

Why are so many in ruins? With invading Magyars (present-day Hungarians, who swept into the Carpathian basin in the 9th c.), Tatars (13th c.), Turks (16th c.), Napoleon Bonaparte (early 19th c.), as well as religious wars (15th c. and 17th c.), punishment for rebelling against the Austro-Hungarian Empire (18th c), frequent fires and simple neglect, the better question would be: how have so many survived? (more about Slovakia’s history)

There are two words for castle in Slovak: "hrad", which connotes defensive, fortified structures, and "zamok’, signifying palaces, chateaux or manor houses, built in more peaceful times by nobles and royals as luxurious homes or hunting lodges in place of the cold, drafty castles of yore. You’ll see many that were changed through the centuries to combine both types.

Many castles and manor houses have interesting museums. Some host festivals and re-enactments of their glory days.

Others are simply haunting remains, to be viewed with the respect that their mere survival, against all odds, deserves.

BE PREPARED FOR STEPS: Please note that all castles have lots of stairs/steps to climb and no ramps or elevators for those who have difficulty climbing. But you’ll still want to look at them from the outside – these are always the most enchanting views!

One of the most magnificent sights in Slovakia is that of the ghostly, sprawling ruins of Spis Castle atop its lonely hill. Covering more than 10 acres, Spis is the largest fortified castle in Central Europe and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site (together with nearby related monuments). While there is evidence of habitation since Neolithic times, Spis Castle started as one tower in 1113 and was enlarged to protect the wealthy Spis area. It was one of very few castles that did not fall to the Tatar invasion of 1241.

Climb up the .4 mile-high hill for a stunning view of the High Tatra mountains. Take a quick look in the castle museum, which has torture devices, weapons and a replica of the castle before it was gutted by fire in 1780.

Also included in UNESCO’s heritage site designation are the two towns of Spiska Kapitula and Zehra.

More information: www.spis.sk and www.spisskyhrad.sk/en.html

Bojnice is the most visited castle in all of Slovakia – not only because of its fairytale-like appearance but also because of the popular Festival of Ghosts and Spirits held there every May. The castle also hosts a romantic St. Valentine’s Day weekend. With fortifications that date back to the 12th century, Bojnice Castle was owned in the early 13th c. by Matus Cak, an early Slovak hero. It was reconstructed by its aristocratic owners in the late 19th century to resemble chateaux in France’s Loire Valley, although an elaborate 17th c chapel covered with medieval frescos remains. The castle has a museum with weaponry, furniture and paintings, as well as Slovakia’s best zoo. Among the castle’s valuable artwork is a 14th c. altar by a Florentine master, Narda di Cione.

For more information: www.bojnice.net/index.php?lang=en&main=1&ref=zamok or www.bojnicecastle.sk

Dramatically-sited Orava Castle perches on a cliff over a river by the same name, just south of the Polish border. Its present elaborate, neo-Gothic look is the result of an early 20th century reconstruction. The castle’s first incarnation was as a 9th century fort of the Great Moravian Empire, then a 13th century castle of the king of Hungary.

Special events at Orava castle: "Unlocking Orava Castle" (end April/early May), the Festival of Ghosts and Spirits (end May), Valentine’s Day, Christmas, a spooky Dracula festival (late Aug) and evening tours by candlight. The unlocking (or opening) includes folk music, a craft market and re-enactment of daily life from the past. You can also go rafting on the quiet Orava River, below the castle www.plte-orava.sk

More information at www.oravamuzeum.sk

(near Bratislava)
Rising defiantly out of a rocky hill at a strategic location overlooking the confluence of the Danube and the Morava Rivers near Bratislava, Devin Castle has been a symbol of Slovak nationalism for more than 1,000 years. The first traces of fortification date from Roman times. By the 10th century, the Great Moravian Empire strengthened the walled settlement and used it as a base for fighting against Frankish overlords. In the 13th c., Devin was held by Hungarian nobles, who added a palace in the 15th c. Napoleon’s troops laid waste to Devin in 1809. Devin Castles was the scene of several events connected with the 19th c. Slovak National Revival and an insurrection against the Hapsburg Empire.

More information: http://www.slovakheritage.org/Castles/trencin.htm

(near Bratislava) – Cerveny Kamen castle has rugged medieval-style bastions and torture chamber on the one hand and more refined neo-Classical living quarters and formal gardens – typical of a chateau -- on the other. Today, visitors can attend falconry days, knights’ tournaments, a historical swordsmanship festival and other celebrations at the castle, which has displays of weapons and period furniture.

More information http://www.muzeum.sk/defaulte.php?obj=
muzeum&ix=mck_snm

Third largest castle in Slovakia, Trencin Castle commands a view over the Vah River on a cliff inscribed by the Romans in 179 A.D. to commemorate Marcus Aurelius’ victory over Germanic tribes. The inscription is visible from the Secessionist (Art Nouveau Vienna-style) Hotel Tatra below the castle. The castle was first built in the 11th c, and then enlarged in the 14th c. It was then that nobleman Matus Cak fought against the Hungarian king and declared his "Kingdom of the Vah and the Tatras" – precursor to modern Slovakia -- with Trencin as his capital. Some of the best views are from the cobblestone streets of the pedestrian-zone Old Town (Stare Mesto) underneath the castle itself. See it dramatically illuminated at night.

More information http://www.slovakheritage.org/Castles/trencin.htm

Only ruins remain of the castle where the infamous Hungarian aristocrat Elizabeth Bathory, nicknamed "the blood countess", tortured to death more than 600 young Slovak peasant women in the 17th century. According to legend, the cruel but beautiful countess – widely held to be the inspiration of the vampire myth (she sometimes bit off flesh from her victims) -- did this in the belief that bathing in their blood would preserve her good looks. However, historical evidence indicates that obsessive sadism was her motive. Because of her family’s connections to the rulers of Poland and Transylvania she was not put to death for her atrocities. Instead she was imprisoned in Cachtice Castle, where she died four years later.

More information http://www.slovakheritage.org/Castles/cachtice.htm

One of the oldest fortified sites in Slovakia, Nitra started out as a fortress during the Great Moravian Empire (8th-9th c). Devastated by the Turks in the 17th c., it was rebuilt in the next century. From its rocky perch above the river, you have a splendid view. Within the castle complex is Nitra Cathedral – the first church in the country and possibly in all of Central Europe, worth seeing for its frescos and modern stained glass.

More information http://www.muzeum.sk/defaulte.php?obj=hrad&ix=nh

Krasna Horka (near Roznava in the Slovak Karst)– Brooding high on a limestone hill in the Slovak Karst area, Krasna Horka castle was a Gothic fortress originally guarding the route between the rich Spis region and the city of Kosice. It was converted into a museum at the turn of the 20th century by its aristocratic Hungarian owners, the Andrassy family. See how the castle’s kitchen looked in its heyday and view the collection of furniture and weapons from the 16th-17th centuries. The mummified body of one of the resident countesses is also on display. Also worth visiting is the elaborately decorated (17 lbs of gold) Andrassy Mausoleum, built in the early 20th century by a renegade member of the Andrassy family in memory of his wife, a Czech opera singer who was not of noble lineage. He was disowned by his family for marrying her – which is why the mausoleum is separate from the castle and why he made it so grand!

More information on the castle http://www.slovakheritage.org/Castles/krasna_horka.htm


High above Slovakia’s capital city looms austere Bratislava castle – built and rebuilt many times over more than 1,000 years of existence. Starting out as a 10th century fortress, the castle’s "upside down table" design we see today is from the 15th century. This was the residence of Hungarian kings while the Turks occupied Buda in the 16th and 17th centuries. Legend has it that the castle stair are very wide and shallow because Hapsburg Empress Maria Theresa, too heavy to climb them herself, insisted on riding her horse up and down instead. The castle suffered the indignity of being nearly burned down by drunken Austrian soldiers stationed there in the early 19th c. during the Napoleonic Wars. It was reconstructed in the mid 20th c.

Bratislava Castle is now home to the Slovak National Museum. Most notable exhibits: the 22,800 B.C. Venus of Morovany, a fertility figure carved from a mammoth tusk, and the historical furniture collection, which includes fabulous Secessionist (Viennese Art Nouveau) and Art Deco pieces. The Museum of Folk Instruments is also worth visiting.

From the castle, you have an unbeatable view, looking out onto three countries -- Austria, Hungary and Slovakia.

For 300 years, the Turks tried to take the city of Komarno, which today straddles Slovakia and Hungary. Thanks to the town’s vast fortification system, one of the largest in the world with 11 bastions, they never succeeded.

More info www.spectacularslovakia.sk/ss2002/komarno_history_ascii.html