Trencín Castle

Trenčín, Slovakia

Trenčín Castle is relatively large renovated castle, towering on a steep limestone cliff directly above the city of Trenčín. It is a dominant feature not only of Trenčín, but also of the entire Považie region. The castle is a national monument.

History of the castle cliff dates back to the Roman Empire, what is proved by the inscription on the castle cliff proclaiming the victory of Roman legion against Germans in the year 179.

Today’s castle was probably built on the hill-fort. The first proven building on the hill was the Great Moravian rotunda from the 9th century and later there was a stone residential tower, which served to protect the Kingdom of Hungary and the western border. In the late 13th century the castle became a property of Palatine Matúš Csák, who became Mr. of Váh and Tatras.

Matúš Csák of Trenčín built a tower, still known as Matthew’s, which is a dominant determinant of the whole building. Another owner of the castle, Sigismund of Luxemburg, built a new palace and a chapel in the 15th century. All these buildings have been restored and are now used for museum purposes.

The 15th century was the century of fortification reinforcement, caused byHussite ventures, which directed to Slovakia. In the late 15th century, the castle together with the entire town belonged to Stephen Zápoµský, who began extensive alterations.

Trenčín Castle, together with the Spiš Castle and Devín Castle, belonged to the largest European castles in 1540-1560. At that time a star-defense artillery was built and modernized in accordance with historical patterns. The silhouette of the castle has changed – tall Gothic roofs were exchanged for horizontal Renaissance attics with swallow-tails, which were typical Italian elements of the 16th century. The castle was damaged during a fire in 1790. Nowadays, the castle is under a complex reconstruction. Restored objects are progressively used for museum purposes and for exposures.

A unique view offers from the Matthew’s tower. It offers an open view to the White Carpathian Mountains. Spaces of the Matthew’s tower document the housing of the nobility in the mid of the 11th century. Barbora’s palace interior and the cannon bastion have a modern renovated vault system.

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Details

Founded: 800-900 AD
Category: Castles and fortifications in Slovakia

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Martenca (12 months ago)
Nice castle, please take your time there are 2 options small and big tour. It took me around 2 hours to do the small tour, the big tour is longer and it is with the guide. Very relaxing and not busy place without crowds, inside the castle is a cafe too so you can enjoy your drink with astonishingly beautiful view. Please see some of my attached photos. Enjoy
Tomasz Karasek (2 years ago)
The castle is great. The old city is beautiful. The views are amazing. But what is the point of holding birds on a 1 meter wire? While I was there several birds tried flying up into the air only to be stopped by the wire. You have an amazing historical attraction on your hands - this kind of animal cruelty for amusement of some of the visitors (clearly, not all) is just unnecessary. I hope to be back again and I hope I won't see this sight at the castle anymore.
Robert de Kimpe (2 years ago)
Beautifullu restoration of this old castle including plenty of relics inside. On top of it all (literally) from its tower, there's a 360 degree view over the historic city of Trenčin, the industrial side of the city and if you have a good zoom lense, you can also see the majority of its football pitch ?
Иван Затевахин (2 years ago)
A very beautiful Middle Ages castle, which is visible from the station. Now there is an active stage of restoration, so not all rooms are allowed into. Inspection of the castle itself took 2 hours
Todd s (2 years ago)
This place looked amazing from the outside, drove an hour and a half to get there and I thought it closed at 6:45 but it was at 6:30. I was running up a steep hill, made it through two gates that were open, got to the top it was 6:31 PM And they wouldn't let me in. Literally one minute and I was already on the grounds and he still won't let me in. I was heartbroken and very disappointed, my fault for getting lost and making a wrong turn and finding parking, but in the end the guy could've let me in and he didn't. So if you're going to visit which I do recommend, don't be late, they are not nice about it.
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