The civic tower of Casale Monferrato is a brick construction with a square plan form. With its 60 meters of height the tower dominates the whole town and it is its most characteristic symbol. The lower side dates back to the original construction of the 11th century. It was built for defensive purposes later it became the symbol of civic power.
At the beginning of the 16th century the Paleologi family, Marquises of Monferrato, commissioned to the architect and sculptor Matteo Sanmicheli (Porlezza 1480-1528) a crowing element, which takes the form of a loggia. With a square plan form the loggia presents four mullioned windows, surmounted by another smaller loggia with an octagonal plan form.
On the top of the tower stands a colonnade and a small calotte, adorned with dolphins. Across the centuries the civic tower was modernized with painting plasters and decorative stucco. In 1920 there was a final restoration and so it has remained until today.
References:Trenčín Castle is relatively large renovated castle, towering on a steep limestone cliff directly above the city of Trenčín. It is a dominant feature not only of Trenčín, but also of the entire Považie region. The castle is a national monument.
History of the castle cliff dates back to the Roman Empire, what is proved by the inscription on the castle cliff proclaiming the victory of Roman legion against Germans in the year 179.
Today’s castle was probably built on the hill-fort. The first proven building on the hill was the Great Moravian rotunda from the 9th century and later there was a stone residential tower, which served to protect the Kingdom of Hungary and the western border. In the late 13th century the castle became a property of Palatine Matúš Csák, who became Mr. of Váh and Tatras.
Matúš Csák of Trenčín built a tower, still known as Matthew’s, which is a dominant determinant of the whole building.