Čachtice Castle
The Čachtice Castle ( German also Castle Schächtitz , Slovak Čachtický hrad , Hungarian Csejte vára ) is located on the edge of the Slovak Carpathian Mountains near the village of the same name , eight kilometers from the town of Nové Mesto nad Váhom .
history
Built in the first half of the 13th century as one of the first security systems on the Hungarian north-western border, the castle was initially under royal administration. From the 14th century onwards, several noble families took turns as owners. The most famous among them is the nobleman Ctibor I of Stiborice and Beckov , who received the castle and dominion in 1392. In 1569 the castle passed to the Nádasdy family, who owned it until 1670. However, it was uninhabited after 1614 and only served as a fortress. From 1708, after it was conquered by anti-Habsburg rebels under the leadership of Franz II Rákóczi , the complex fell into disrepair. At that time it was temporarily used as a prison. The ruins of the originally mighty three-part castle are located in a nature reserve with rare steppe flora.
Elisabeth Báthory was mistress of the castle from around 1585 to 1610. Convicted of an alleged serial killer and witch in 1611, she was allegedly walled up in one of the tower rooms. In 1614 she died in her dungeon.
Web links
- Čachtice Castle on www.cachtice.sk (Slovak, English)
Coordinates: 48 ° 43 ′ 29 ″ N , 17 ° 45 ′ 39 ″ E