Tematín Castle
| Tematín Castle | ||
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.jpg) View of the castle ruins |
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| Alternative name (s): | Tematín | |
| Creation time : | 13th Century | |
| Castle type : | Hilltop castle | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Place: | Lúka / Hrádok , Slovakia | |
| Geographical location | 48 ° 40 '38 " N , 17 ° 55' 46" E | |
| Height: | 564 m nm | |
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The Tematín Castle ( Slovak Tematínsky hrad or Tematín , Hungarian Temetvény ) is the ruins of a hilltop castle in the west of Slovakia . It is located in the western half of the Inowetz (Slovak Považský Inovec ) east of the communities Lúka and Hrádok .
history
The Gothic castle was built towards the middle of the 13th century to secure the north-western border of the Hungarian state , as were the Beckov and Trenčin castles further north. The first mention of it comes from the year 1270. According to legend, the name comes from the Hungarian word Temetőhely (German burial place), which was corrupted by the population of Tematín .
Due to its defensive role, the castle remained in royal possession for a long time (with the exception of Matthäus Csák at the beginning of the 14th century) before it passed to the nobility at the end of the 14th century. The best-known owners came from the Thurzo , Ujlaky and Bercsényi families . Up to the 16th century the castle was true to its defensive role: it was formed by a square tower and hall, surrounded by castle walls with a Gothic portal to the forecourt.
In the 16th century, the outer bailey was further strengthened and separated from the upper castle by a narrow passage in order to do justice to the advances in the military. Two bastions and a moat were added to the gate. With further construction work in the upper castle in the 17th century and expansion of the living quarters, the castle became a relatively comfortable ruler's seat.
The downfall came with the outbreak of the Rákóczi uprising against the Habsburgs at the beginning of the 18th century. Miklós Bercsényi , who was born in the castle in 1665 and was one of the leaders of the Kurucs , was rumored to be hiding in the castle in 1710. In fact, he escaped shortly before the siege by Heister's army; the castle garrison surrendered after three days. The castle has been abandoned since then and is slowly falling into disrepair.
Access
The easiest access is from the resort town of Bezovec near Nová Lehota . The ruins can be reached in an hour and a half via an asphalt road and a tourist path (marked in red and blue). Other paths lead from Lúka (via the blue marked path, two and a quarter hours) or Hrádok (via blue and yellow marked paths, two and a half hours) to the ruin.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Daniel Kollár, Jaroslav Nešpor: Castles . Most Beautiful Ruins (= Cultural Heritage of Slovakia ). 1st edition. Dajama, Bratislava 2007, ISBN 978-80-89226-42-9 , p. 32-35 (English).
Web links
- Description on hrady.sk (Slovak)
- Description on zamky.sk (Slovak)