HRIČOV Castle

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 was falling from one ownership into other and a lot of feudal lords were involved in various disputes about its ownership. At the end of the 17th century it was damaged by a thunder-storm and since that time it has been running riot. Inside of the area, the original plaster has been preserved on some of the walls. On its western slope there is a small cave with the biggest repository site of Big Moravian ceramics. From the castle there is a nice view on the hill Roháč, Javorníky and on the valley of Váh.