Modrý Kameň, castles

The Blue Rock castle was built in the 12th century by an important and weighty Ugrian family of the Balassas that lived here till the half of the 19th century. An important Renaissance poet and an anti–Turkish fighter, Bálint Balassi /1554-1594/, comes of this family. The last owner, Countess Gabriela Almássy sold the castle with manor-house and neighbouring lands to the Czecho-Slovak State in 1923. The area of the castle is created by ruins of the Gothic castle from the 12th century and of a Baroque castle from 1730 that is a seat of a museum at present. Part of the Baroque castle is...

Čabraď is a ruin of castle located near the village Čabradský Vrbovok, in the middle of the Krupina Highlands on a hill above the valley Litava. Originally, this castle was called Litava. The castle was built in the 13th century in the village Huntovec to protect roads leading to the mining towns. In the second half of the 16th century it was an important fortress against the Turks. They tried several times in vain to conquer it. In 1511 the castle became the property of the Archbishop of...

The HALIČ CASTLE dating from 1612 is the dominant feature of the village of Halič. It is situated on a lonely wooded hill. The view of the chateau is cut out of a fairy tale and the view from the windows of the chateau is magnificent. You can see 15 surrounding villages and, with good visibility, also some peaks of the High Tatras. The castle forest park has an area of ​​13 hectares with an artificial lake. The beginnings of Halič Castle date back to the 12th century - it is stated that...

Vígľaš Castle is located above the Slatina River near the village of Vígľaš in the Detva district, approximately 13 km from the town of Zvolen. The castle was built in the 14th century at a strategic location where the road from Zvolen emerges from a narrow gorge through which the Slatina River flows. In the 16th century, Vígľaš Castle played an important role in the defense of the central Slovak mining towns against Turkish raids. Although the Turks damaged the castle, they never managed...

Filakovo Castle was a medieval castle whose ruins are overlooking the town Fiľakovo. The first written mention of the castle is from 1242, where it says that the castle resisted Tartar invasions. It has several owners, including Matthew III Csák. In the 12th century, the original castle consists of square tower, perimeter wall with the palace on the southwest side and probably mound with palisades. During the reconstruction in 1551 the castle was expanded to the middle castle with a pair of...

The beautiful view of the historic center of Banská Štiavnica is just one of the experiences offered by a visit to the New Castle. A six-storey Renaissance fortification building built in 1564-1571 as an anti-Turkish watchtower in the system of fortifications of mining towns. It also served as a city clock. It is currently part of the Slovak Mining Museum. The exhibition presents the history of anti-Turkish wars in Slovakia. The visitor will learn about the importance of Banská Štiavnica and...

Šomoška Castle built of unconventional hexagonal basalt columns is unique among the Slovak castles. Its scenic beauty ranks it among the most beautiful castles in Slovakia. It is located on the Hungarian border above the Hungarian village Somoskő. The castle was built in the early 14th century by Kacsics Dynasty. In 1323 King Charles-Robert donated castle to Thomas Széczényi. During his era, the castle was a bustling centre of social life. The original base of the castle was a building...

The castle complex of the Old Castle can be found in the center of Banská Štiavnica, directly above Trinity Square. His piece of Romanesque architecture can be considered the oldest preserved architectural monument in the town of Banská Štiavnica. It dates from the first years of the 13th century, when a community of miners built a large three-nave church here, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. At the end of the 15th century, the church was enlarged and fortified with walls. At the time of the Turkish...

The water castle is the oldest preserved structure in the village of Hronsek. This Gothic-Renaissance building dates from the 14th century. At the end of the 16th century, it was rebuilt and fortified against Turkish raids. The building had a fortification consisting of a defensive wall with four towers and a moat with a drawbridge. The castle belonged to the Géczyovsk family, later it was also owned by other noble families. Later, the Water Castle was used for evangelical services, the cellars...