Slovakia in Central Europe is a landlocked country that shares its borders with the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, Ukraine and Hungary. It has an abundance of tourist attractions that include medieval castles, caves, traditional local architecture, beautiful landscapes, ski resorts, spas and interesting towns and cities. One of the many splendid castles is the Spiš Castle or the Spiśský hrad in Eastern Slovakia that attracts a considerable amount of tourists to the region. It is one of the largest castles in the whole of Europe dating back to the 12th century.
Situated in the Spišská Nová Ves district in the Košice region of Slovakia, this magnificent castle sits atop a hill, towering over the town of Spišské Podhradie lying at the foothills below. The castle is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site along with the ecclesiastical settlement of the neighboring Spišská Kapitula, which lies adjacent to the town of Spišské Podhradie. Both these towns also share historical importance and have places of tourist interest such as the ecclesiastical settlement, bell tower and St Martin’s Cathedral in Spišská Kapitula and the Rennaisance merchant houses and the Synagogue in Spišské Podhradie.
The Spiš Castle, a Romanesque stone castle was built in the 12th century at the spot where there had once been another castle. It had a Romanesque-Gothic Basilica added to it in the 13th century and an extramural settlement added in the 14th century. The castle was entirely rebuilt in the 15th century and the walls were raised and a third extramural settlement added to it. The castle was badly damaged in a fire in 1780 and remained in ruins for a long time until part of it was restructured in the 20th century. This part of the castle houses the Spiš Museum.
Situated high up looking over the towns below, this majestic castle gives a good view when you look up at it from the town centre. The silhouette of the castle at night in the illumination looks stunning. The Spišský hrad has also been a great shooting locale for films that include some well known movies such as Dragonheart, Kull the Conqueror, The Last Legion and others. Apart from this the castle has been a great tourist attraction, drawing millions of visitors each year. You could also include other towns of the Košice region in your travel itinerary.
Photo by Jan44 provided courtesy of Panoramio.com
Photo by Jan Madaras provided courtesy of Panoramio.com
Photo by Jan Madaras provided courtesy of Panoramio.com
Photo by Jan44 provided courtesy of Panoramio.com
Photo by Marek Durovka provided courtesy of Panoramio.com