Leopoldov fortress
The fortress Leopoldov (German also fortress Leopoldstadt , Hungarian Lipótvár ) on the eastern edge of the western Slovak city Leopoldov was built in the 17th century as a defensive fortress during the time of the Turkish Wars. From 1885 it served as a prison .
history
The building complex with a total area of 56 hectares was built between 1665 and 1669 on the instructions of Emperor Leopold I by the imperial architect L. de Souches and the engineer J. Arigsperger as a fortress against the expansion of the Ottoman Empire , after the fortress in Nové Zámky was opened by the Turkish War of 1663/1664 fell into Turkish possession for a short time.
The fortress has the plan of a six-angled star with two gates - one towards Hlohovec and the other towards Leopoldov - and six bastions; the walls are 9.5 m high. It was built in the Renaissance style and resembles Italian castles with its star-like appearance. At that time, Leopoldov was one of the most modern fortresses in Central Europe. It was never conquered militarily either.
In 1855/56 the fortress was converted into a prison with space for 1,000 prisoners. So it was the largest prison in Hungary at the time . The use of the fortress as a prison continues to this day, especially in the 1950s the Leopoldov prison became notorious as a prison for political prisoners of the communist regime of Czechoslovakia .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Okres Hlohovec, online at: www.progresit.sk , Slovak, accessed on January 28, 2011
- ↑ Väznica (ÚVTOS a ÚVV), online at: www.leopoldov.sk ( Memento of the original from January 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , in Slovak, accessed January 28, 2011
Coordinates: 48 ° 26 '39.4 " N , 17 ° 46' 39.8" E