Nitra Castle

Nitra, Slovakia

Nitra castle was built in the 11th century on the place of an earlier fort. The core of the castle is St. Emmeram's Cathedral with the Bishop's residence, with several different parts. The oldest surviving part is the Romanesque Church of St. Emmeram from the 11th century. The other two parts of the cathedral are the originally Gothic Upper Church from the 14th century, and the Lower Church from the 17th century. Vazil´s Tower is another remaining part of the medieval fortification. According to a legend, Vazil, king Stephen´s nephew, was imprisoned in a dungeon supposed to be in the Tower´s underground.

The originally Gothic Bishop's Palace got its present Late Baroque appearance in the 18th century. There are also surviving parts of the castle fortifications, the majority of which were created in the 16th and 17th centuries and smaller part from the Middle Ages. The church is currently being remodeled.

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Address

Námestie Jána Pavla II., Nitra, Slovakia
See all sites in Nitra

Details

Founded: 11th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Slovakia

More Information

www.nitra.eu
slovakia.travel
en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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St. Emmeram's Cathedral (0 km)
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User Reviews

Toma Marius (6 months ago)
Fortified church not a castel. But apparently it was the first Christian church in Slovakia.
Ainars Dominiks (7 months ago)
In Slovakia you can find a lot of castles and this is one of them. nice place to visit and enjoy some time in history. Beautiful views and amazing surroundings.
Katarina Krajanova (10 months ago)
Beautiful place, small so easy to see everything it offers. Some places were closed because "there were not enough tourists". That made me a bit disappointed since we were at least 30 people there at the same time...
Mira Demeter (12 months ago)
You must visit Nitra castle if you are visiting Nitra. It has wonderful views, you can see far away. You can also visit the church& around the castle. There’s also underground space to visit. There’s a small fee to pay,but worth it. There are toilets & a am all souvenir shop. You can get there with a buggy but it’s a bit stoney &loads of steps. There’s loads of events organised here. Definitely worth visiting, love the view.
Gino Fransman (15 months ago)
Beautiful, historic and well worth the effort to go here. The collections on display are exhibited in an underground tunnel-like structure, and for a small fee can be explored. The array of bishop vestments is impressive as you join the guided tour to the bell tower. The view from the top is stunning. Take some time to go into the church.
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St. Stephen's Basilica

St. Stephen"s Basilica is a Roman Catholic basilica named in honour of Stephen, the first King of Hungary (c. 975–1038), whose supposed right hand is housed in the reliquary. It was the sixth largest church building in Hungary before 1920. Today, it is the third largest church building in present-day Hungary.

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At first, the building was supposed to be named after Saint Leopold, the patron saint of Austria, but the plan was changed in the very last minute, so it became St. Stephen"s Basilica.

The Saint Stephen Basilica has played an active role in the musical community since its consecration in 1905. The head organists of the church have always been very highly regarded musicians. In the past century the Basilica has been home to choral music, classical music as well as contemporary musical performances. The Basilica choir performs often in different parts of Europe as well as at home. In the summer months they perform every Sunday. During these months you can see performances from many distinguished Hungarian and foreign organ players alike.

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