SPIŠ CASTLE (SPIŠSKÝ HRAD)

Spiš Castle is built on a limestone rock at an altitude of 634 m. Classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993, it is one of the largest castles in Central Europe. Spiš Castle was built in the 12th century to replace an older castle. At the time, it was the political and economic capital of Szepes County in Hungary. The fortified tower dates from the 13th century, while a residential palace and a chapel were built at the same time. Spiš Castle is the only one to resist the Tatar raids of the 13th century, with fortifications that must be reinforced.

In the 15th century, an interior courtyard was added to the castle. The lower part is then reserved for soldiers and separated from the rest of the castle, the residence of the lord and provost of Spišska Kapitula. In the second half of the 15th century (1464), the Zápol'ský family took possession of the castle and tried to make it a more comfortable residence by renovating the palace and adding a chapel that is now located in the upper part of the castle. During the Renaissance, the place passed into the hands of the Thurzo and Csáky families who sought to harmonize the building. They erected new buildings, with arcades and galleries in the inner courtyard... In 1780, a fire destroyed the castle, which remains in ruins to this day. A restoration was started in the 1970s. The castle now includes a museum that traces the different stages of its development.