Upper Povazie (Horné Považie), ruins of castles and forts

The ruins of the castle perk on the steep hill above Hričovské Podhradie. Originally, it was a Roman royal castle that stood at the road along the river Váh already before the Tatar invasion. It has been famous since 1265. It has been built on steep rangy rocky hill, on the left bank of the river Váh and it belongs among the oldest castles on the middle part of Váh. The castle is rather small and it is being built into the rocky uneven terrain. The first written reference about settlement on the territory of the Hričovské Podhradie dates back to the era of Matthias Corvinus. The castle...

The castle was built in the second half of the 13th century, the first reference about it dates back to 1318. In the second half of the 16th century it was gained by the Thurzos and they owned it till its downfall in the years 1698-1770. Since that time, it has continuously run riot. The fortifications, the walls of the donjon, remainders of palaces for living and of the chapel have been preserved. At the beginning of the 18th century the castle burnt down, it lost its defensive function and it ran riot. At present times, ruins stand on its place, however, conclusive evidence has been preserved...

The romantic ruins of the Strečno castle dominate above the ribbon of the river Váh as the symbol of feudal powers on the middle part of the river Váh. Although being in ruins already for three centuries, its preserved architecture is proof of development of mediaeval fortress from the period of Gothic until the period of Baroque. Although the history of the castle began only in the middle of the 14th century, the first inhabitants came here far earlier – the archaeological findings proved the settlement of the castle hill already in the earlier Bronze Age. The explicit written proof about...

The ruins of Považská Castle (also called Bystrica Castle) are located near Považská Bystrica on a steep hill on the right bank of the Váh River. The castle was built in the second half of the 13th century to protect an important Považská road. Among the most famous owners of the castle were the Podmanick brothers, Andrej Balaša. The first mention is around 1300 as Bystrice Castle. A great fire in 1543 severely damaged individual buildings. During the repair, some architectural elements were changed and the castle will be extended by a fort. In 1631, the owners left the uncomfortable castle...