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.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Jana Paučová (4 years ago)
Nice walking but I expected much more than ruins. Nice trip for Sunday afternoon

Radim Horak (4 years ago)
Beautiful place with thrilling history...

Ja Ktoiny (4 years ago)
Easy access, nice mid-sized semiruin with gorgeous views and if reconstruction will continue, also basic services and exposition should be enlarged.

Peter Valach (4 years ago)
Opening of the season event was a nice addition to the largely renovated castle and the views. The area of the castle could still be improved a bit as it is slippery on some places and smaller kids needed support to overcome them. The new terrace with seating is great to rest, refresh and enjoy the sight. During the event we also had the chance to see medieval swordsman techniques explained and showcased.

Andreas Heierli (4 years ago)
The view of the castle is most impressive from the village of Višňové. The easiest access, however, is by car from Čachtice. The road brings you to a parking lot a short 15 minutes walk from the castle. The access is easy and can be done with strollers. The castle itself (entrance fee of currently 2.50€ for adults) offers information in Slovak, English, German and Hungarian. The offered views are nice and with some imagination you can feel the spirit of the ancient time when exploring the site. Recommended for all interested in the local history.

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