Spiš Castle in Slovakia, one of Europe's largest castles

UNESCO declared Spiš Castle a Heritage Site since 1993, but it rose to fame long before that.  Traces of human habitation since 5th millennium BC were found on the rock where the castle stands, and by 1st century the Celts had built themselves a fort here.  It kept expanding and became an important Hungarian political and cultural center in 12th century.  In the 13th century it was one of the few castles in Europe that played a defensive part during the Mongol's military expedition. Since then the castle had been owned and occupied by Hungarian royalties and nobilities.

In the late 18th century, the castle was almost completely burned down.  It is now in ruin; in 2013 when I visited, restoration and archaeological work are earnestly being carried out.  

Following the road from Spisská Kapitula (see previous blog post) one needs to park the car at a clearing and then scale up the mountain to the castle.  It's an easy hike, and the view is spectacular.  Inside the castle, the reconstructed buildings are now part of a museum.  It has two parts, the main level and the upper castle, both of which are now opened to public.

Coincidentally, it is where the movie Dragonheart was shot, and makes into the list of top 10 largest castles in the world. 

Official website: http://www.spisskyhrad.sk/en.html

Spišská Kapitula, an UNESCO Heritage Site in Eastern Slovakia

An hour away from the Polish border lies one of the biggest European Castles, Spiš Castle, or Spissky Hrad in Slovak.  The castle and its surrounding villages have long been an UNESCO Heritage Site.  Here is Spišská Kapitula, the town that sits underneath the castle.

Spišská Kapitula has a 13th century cathedral, one through street with a gate on each end, medieval buildings that were occupied by its 200 inhabitants, all protected by a stone wall built in the 17th century.  It is a seat of the Spiš Holy See; a plaque commemorates a visit by Pope John Paul II in 1995.  Its inhabitants are mostly Holy See officials and servants, as well as students from the Theological College.  All the buildings are very well preserved.  With the Spiš castle looming at the distant hill, the town leaves you completely speechless.  

More information on Slovak Heritage: 

http://www.slovakheritage.org/Unesco/spiskap.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trnava, the "Little Rome" of western Slovakia

Less than 60km from the bustling tourist centre of Bratislava, Trnava (pronounced as Turn-nava) is fantastic for those who love churches. Bound by a city wall that was built in the 14th century, one can spend a full day exploring all the churches big and small that lie within the walled city. The historic centre is declared as a city monument.  This main square is rather charming, albeit marred by a rather unsightly modern shopping centre.   This makes for a perfect base for exploring the region (Nitra, Zilina, etc.) Incidentally, this is also where the famous Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály was born.  


Here is a list of historical monuments in Trnava: http://www.trnava.sk/en/article/historical-monuments