Scharfenstein Castle (Slovakia)

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Scharfenstein Castle
Ruins of Scharfenstein Castle

Ruins of Scharfenstein Castle

Creation time : 13th Century
Castle type : Hilltop castle
Conservation status: ruin
Place: Buková
Geographical location 48 ° 31 '19.3 "  N , 17 ° 22' 17.9"  E Coordinates: 48 ° 31 '19.3 "  N , 17 ° 22' 17.9"  E
Height: 576  m
Scharfenstein Castle (Slovakia)
Scharfenstein Castle

The Scharfenstein Castle ( Ostrý Kameň in Slovak ) is the ruin of a hilltop castle above the village of Buková (German: Bixard) in Okres Trnava on the western slope of Mount Záruby , the highest mountain in the Little Carpathians , Slovakia .

history

The castle was founded in the 13th century on the borders of the Kingdom of Hungary to secure the Via Bohemica . which connected Prague with Buda and passed through what is now south-western Slovakia. It was part of a longer European trade route that ran from the Bosporus to the Atlantic. The route was officially determined by the Hungarian King Charles I and the Bohemian King John around 1335-1336. In particular, the Via Bohemica bypassed the city of Vienna in order to weaken Austria. Hungarian kings built a network of fortresses and guard castles to protect the path, including Burg Scharfenstein and Burg Blasenstein . It was forbidden to levy duties and tolls on the road, traders should have a free and safe passage.

Both the German name and the Slovak name refer to the rock on which it was built. The castle was initially owned by the king, but the king gave it to Nikolaus von Setsch as early as 1366. In 1394 King Sigismund transferred the castle to Duke Stibor zo Stiboríc a Beckova . During the Rákóczi Uprising in 1704, a battle broke out near the castle. The Via Bohemica changed its course and now ran through Pressburg and the castle lost its function.

At the end of the 18th century, the Pálffy family bought the decaying castle and the surrounding lands.

Building

The castle was built at the end of the steep ridge from which it is separated by a defensive moat cut into the rock. From the tower of the castle one could probably see neighboring castles such as Bladder Stone Castle . From the middle of the 15th century the castle was expanded in a north-westerly direction, and in the 16th century a new outer bailey was built with a bakery and apartments for the castle staff.

Today the extensive ruins of the castle, the remains of the palace , the farm buildings and bastions are overgrown by forest.

Individual evidence

  1. Eva Križanová, Blanka Puškárová: Hrady, zámky a kaštiele na Slovensku: turistický lexicon . 1990 (Slovak).
  2. a b Burgenwelt - Scharfenstein Castle. Retrieved May 9, 2019 .

Web links

Commons : Ostrý Kameň  - collection of images, videos and audio files