Little Fatra (Malá Fatra), castles, chateaus

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 Renaissance mansion in Turčianska Štiavnička was built in the second half of the 16th century, modified in the Baroque-Classicist style. At the beginning of the 1990s, extensive reconstruction began, but it has not yet been completed. At present, the manor house is not accessible to the public and is gradually deteriorating. The mansion also includes an extensive English park with a winter garden, lakes and rare trees. The park, which continuously grows into the surrounding forests, keeps the village and is open to the public. Visitors can see almost 400 tree species from all over the world....