Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux is a museum dedicated to the famous Bayeux Tapestry. This hand-woven 70m long tapestry tells the story of William the Conqueror’s invasion of England in 1066. The manmade wonder of the 11th century has been well preserved, leaving the town of Bayeux only twice: once when Napoleon used it to show his troops that conquering England was indeed possible, and the second time during World War II, to save it from being damaged. Each year, the Tapestry Museum is visited by over 400000 visitors who marvel at the glass encased masterpiece.
The Beckov castle stands on a steep 50 m tall rock in the village Beckov. The dominance of the rock and impression of invincibility it gaves, challenged our ancestors to make use of these assets. The result is a remarkable harmony between the natural setting and architecture.
The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.
The next owners, the Bánffys who adapted the Gothic castle to the Renaissance residence, improved its fortifications preventing the Turks from conquering it at the end of the 16th century. When Bánffys died out, the castle was owned by several noble families. It fell in decay after fire in 1729.
The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.