Museum Het Prinsenhof, 'the Princes' Court', is located in the former Sint Agathaklooster monastery. In 1572, William of Orange chose the monastery as one of his houses. From this building, the Prince led the uprising against the Spanish rule over the Netherlands. On the 10th of July 1584 he was murdered on the stairs of Het Prinsenhof by the Spanish sympathiser Balthazar Gerards. The wall of the stairs shows two bullet holes that bear witness to this event.
References: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.