Cachtice Castle Ruins

Čachtice, Slovakia

The Čachtice castle ruins stands on a hill featuring rare plants, and has been declared a national nature reserve for this reason. The castle was a residence and later the prison of the Countess Elizabeth Báthory, who is alleged to have been the world's most prolific female serial killer.

Čachtice was built in the mid-13th century by Kazimir from the Hont-Pázmány gens as a sentry on the road to Moravia. Later, it belonged to Máté Csák, the Stibor family, and then to the famous Bloody Lady Elizabeth Báthory. Čachtice, its surrounding lands and villages, was a wedding gift from the Nádasdy family upon Elizabeth's marriage to Ferenc Nádasdy in 1575.

Originally, Čachtice was a Romanesque castle with an interesting horseshoe shaped residence tower. It was turned into a Gothic castle later and its size was increased in the 15th and 16th centuries. A Renaissance renovation followed in the 17th century. Finally, in 1708 the castle was captured and plundered by the rebels of Ferenc II Rákoci (Francis II Rákóczi). It has been in decay since.

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Address

504023, Čachtice, Slovakia
See all sites in Čachtice

Details

Founded: c. 1250
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Slovakia

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Vaclav J. (8 months ago)
Nice place with great history…. good people and very nice services
Laura Wittchen (8 months ago)
Beautiful views. I hadn't anticipated the long trek up from the parking lot. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes, have plenty of sunscreen, and water.
Dave Harper (9 months ago)
Great place. this is a very nice castle. you can park on the main square in the village or park on one of the upper parking spots which are paid but there is a small train-like car going regularly from the village to the top. the walk is nice in the forest and it is nothing difficult also manageable with kids. at the castle you have toilets. you have to pay entry fee but it is small amount and you can pay by card and have lovely talk with the lady selling them. from top there are beautiful views on the surrounding nature. inside there is also a souvenir store where again you can pay by card. highly recommend.
MYTRIPLINE (10 months ago)
Trip from Slovakia to Czech Republic with MYTRIPLINE. Čachtice Castle is a castle ruin in Slovakia next to the village of Čachtice. It stands on a hill featuring rare plants, and has been declared a national nature reserve for this reason. The castle was a residence and later the prison of the Countess and alleged serial killer Elizabeth Báthory. Čachtice was built in the mid-13th century by Kazimir from the Hont-Pázmány gens as a sentry on the road to Moravia. Later, it belonged to Matthew Csák, the Stibor family, and then to Elizabeth Báthory. Čachtice, its surrounding lands and villages, was a wedding gift from the Nádasdy family upon Elizabeth's marriage to Ferenc Nádasdy in 1575. Originally, Čachtice was a Romanesque castle with an interesting horseshoe-shaped residence tower. It was turned into a Gothic castle later and its size was increased in the 15th and 16th centuries. A Renaissance renovation followed in the 17th century. In 1708 the castle was captured by the rebels of Francis II Rákóczi. It was neglected and burned down in 1799. It was left to decay until it was turned into a tourist attraction in 2014. MYTRIPLINE Team
Peter Adamove (10 months ago)
Recommended! Adult entrance ticket is currently 4.50€, it's possible to pay by card/cash. There is a small exhibition about the former owners and about the legend around Elisabeth Bathory's life and death. The castle itself is in ruins with some parts of the upper palace being currently repaired. Views are quite stunning.
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