Beckov Castle, Nové Mesto nad Váhom District, Slovakia

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.

References:

Slovakia Travel

User Reviews

Nikolas T (2 years ago)
A stone castle was built there to protect the borders of the Kingdom of Hungary, probably in the middle of the 13th century. It is a natural cultural monument and had renovations , you can found there souvenir shop also toilet, unfortunately not many historical things saved which you can see , everywhere ruins , no museum , but landscape is good.

Ainars Dominiks (2 years ago)
Another, another, another castle in Slovakia. :) You must visit at least 5 castles in Slovakia to understand history. there are no same size, shape and all other type of caste. History you will learn quicker if you will see.

Ivan Bosmansky (3 years ago)
Wonderful landmark. It is worth to get the tickets since there is a nice view from the top. There are also toilets and a gift shop so everything was available. Parking is for free near the park below castle. Its not far, in 5 minutes walk you are at the castle.

Peter Fecko (3 years ago)
Beautiful castle connected with lot of history from the region. Not too big, so good also for families with children (not with trolleys though). Good guided tour (in Slovak), castle campus has also gift shop and small bufet for drinks / snacks. Features also installation of dragons in cellar areas, nice touch for kids.

Bertie Davel (3 years ago)
Unexpected nice experience at the castle. It's an easy walk up from the town and the entrance fee was reasonable. The castle ruins are well maintained and various areas are accessible. There is quite a bit to explore. We saw some guides tours being presented but don't know if they were available in languages other than Slovak. Some information, including a leaflet is available in English and German. Well worth a visit, just the views of the White Carpathian mountains are worth it.

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Historic Site of the week

Cesis Castle

German crusaders known as the Livonian Brothers of the Sword began construction of the Cēsis castle (Wenden) near the hill fort in 1209. When the castle was enlarged and fortified, it served as the residence for the Order's Master from 1237 till 1561, with periodic interruptions. Its ruins are some of the most majestic castle ruins in the Baltic states. Once the most important castle of the Livonian Order, it was the official residence for the masters of the order.

In 1577, during the Livonian War, the garrison destroyed the castle to prevent it from falling into the control of Ivan the Terrible, who was decisively defeated in the Battle of Wenden (1578).

In 1598 it was incorporated into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Wenden Voivodship was created here. In 1620 Wenden was conquered by Sweden. It was rebuilt afterwards, but was destroyed again in 1703 during the Great Northern War by the Russian army and left in a ruined state. Already from the end of the 16th century, the premises of the Order's castle were adjusted to the requirements of the Cēsis Castle estate. When in 1777 the Cēsis Castle estate was obtained by Count Carl Sievers, he had his new residence house built on the site of the eastern block of the castle, joining its end wall with the fortification tower.

Since 1949, the Cēsis History Museum has been located in this New Castle of the Cēsis Castle estate. The front yard of the New Castle is enclosed by a granary and a stable-coach house, which now houses the Exhibition Hall of the Museum. Beside the granary there is the oldest brewery in Latvia, Cēsu alus darītava, which was built in 1878 during the later Count Sievers' time, but its origins date back to the period of the Livonian Order. Further on, the Cēsis Castle park is situated, which was laid out in 1812. The park has the romantic characteristic of that time, with its winding footpaths, exotic plants, and the waters of the pond reflecting the castle's ruins. Nowadays also one of the towers is open for tourists.

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