The Beckov castle stands on a steep 50 m tall rock in the village Beckov. The dominance of the rock and impression of invincibility it gaves, challenged our ancestors to make use of these assets. The result is a remarkable harmony between the natural setting and architecture.

The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.

The next owners, the Bánffys who adapted the Gothic castle to the Renaissance residence, improved its fortifications preventing the Turks from conquering it at the end of the 16th century. When Bánffys died out, the castle was owned by several noble families. It fell in decay after fire in 1729.

The history of the castle is the subject of different legends. One of them narrates the origin of the name of castle derived from that of jester Becko for whom the Duke Stibor had the castle built.

Another legend has it that the lord of the castle had his servant thrown down from the rock because he protected his child from the lords favourite dog. Before his death, the servant pronounced a curse saying that they would meet in a year and days time, and indeed precisely after that time the lord was bitten by a snake and fell down to the same abyss.

The well-conserved ruins of the castle, now the National Cultural Monument, are frequently visited by tourists, above all in July when the castle festival takes place. The former Ambro curia situated below the castle now shelters the exhibition of the local history.

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User Reviews

Attila Tóth (Potyka) (13 months ago)
Beautiful place, breathtakingly beautiful castle. Inside, it is still a bit puritanical, but they are renovating and polishing it, fortunately they keep the old condition, so the opinion about it is only positive. The sword selfie is a great idea!!! 2023 ticket price: 4 euro/person
P G (2 years ago)
Do NOT visit the Beckov castle! Paying 5,50 € (as of September 2022) for a person to visit a (re)construction site with almost everything closed for visitor is ridiculous and dangerous at the same time. Shame! But if you are already here, at the crossroads turn right (castle is to the left) and you will get much better views on the castle and the cemetery below for free. See attached ;)
Pat W (2 years ago)
Parts of the castle are closed to visitors because of restoration work. This boot only limits what you can see but also how you experience the place. The atmosphere was lacking because of it and also the people could be more welcoming. The birds of prey were cool to see but their caretakers acted as if we were air. So, is it worth your money? Maybe. When you're visiting individually, yes. When with a family, especially a larger one, no, then it's too bloody expensive.
Norwi nesch (2 years ago)
Good place us family journeys
Pali Varga (3 years ago)
I was amazed how huge the castle complex actually is - from the road it looks just a tiny building on the rock. In summer, there are stands with local products (some old-times food snack, sweets - as from the various fairs, would be very welcome), falconers with lots of birds, stage performances - giving it unusually vivid atmosphere. I liked the random expositions of the Mednyansky paintings, that perfectly fit into the walls of the castle ruins. The old (Jewish) cemeteries scattered among the hill-slopes and trees have a lovely ambience as well. The village underneath the castle has also couple of cute corners, urex sort, unreconstructed buildings that could become fancy accommodation or some tourist venues, perhaps a museum. There's a potential! Definitely worth a visit.
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