Branc Castle Ruins, Podbranč, Slovakia

Branč Castle was a relatively large castle which was built probably in the second half of the 13th century. The castle together with other castles protected the roads to Moravia crossing the border of the country in the Karpaty mountains. It was was used as a refugee for local inhabitants against Osman threat in 1663. The castle was abandoned in the beginning of the 18th century, furniture from its rooms was removed, fortification destroyed and the castle started to fall into decay. Pamiatkostav Žilina was reconstructing the castle in 1968. Archeological excavation was made from 1978, nowadays the remnants of the castle wall are conservated step by step.

The short and undemanding ascent to the castle hill is worth the toil because it offers a wonderful panoramic view of the Myjavská pahorkatina hills.

References:

castles.sk

User Reviews

Peter Balaz (3 years ago)
Easy to access beautifully place with great views. A well kept ruin with visible improvements No coffee or buffet. But a splendid site for a picnic. Strollers will have a hard time getting to the castle but not impossible.

Stacey O'callaghan (3 years ago)
Great ruin and is being refurbished, short walk up a steep hill to the ruin. The view is amazing and there is plenty to see. We took our lunch and had a picnic there. Great for all the family plenty of exploring to do!

John B (3 years ago)
Spectacular views at the top... Well worth the short hike to get to the top! Paths are mostly loose stones so be careful on the steeper climbs. There are toilets but not sure if they are open all day. Also there was a souvenir shop but I did not expect that to be open at 7.00am !

Cedric Cottage (3 years ago)
Beautiful castle ruins. One can see that some works are being done to repair / maintain the remains. Also the view from the rings is stunning. Admission is free and place is open 24/7

Matt Pierson (3 years ago)
Your standard ruins, if you've seen ruins before you could skip these without feeling like you missed out on too much... They're still pretty sweet though.

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