Starhrad Castle Ruins

Strečno, Slovakia

Starhrad castle was built to protect the old road leading Povazie and it was first mentioned in 1267. The oldest part of the castle was the tower. In the 14th century the castle was in royal hands and some houses and farm buildings were built. Since 1443 it belonged mostly to the Pongracovce family. In the 16th century Starhrad was abandoned and left to decay. By the beginning of the 18th century there lived only guards. During the Second World War German troops fought against the local partisans in the castle area.

References:

Comments

Your name


Address

E50, Strečno, Slovakia
See all sites in Strečno

Details

Founded: 13th century
Category: Ruins in Slovakia

More Information

chatyumarunov.sk

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Strecno Castle (2,1 km)


St. Francis Xavier Cathedral (52,6 km)
Bojnice Castle (49,8 km)
Banská Bystrica Castle (52,5 km)
Orava Castle (35,2 km)
The Church of the Assumption (52,4 km)
Holy Trinity Cathedral (12 km)
Vlkolínec (32,2 km)
Kremnica Castle (52,5 km)
Lietava Castle Ruins (15,1 km)

User Reviews

Jon Ray (3 years ago)
Great hike up to the castle.. Great views
maquara (3 years ago)
Its a very nice castle. The lady that was guiding us was very informative and funny. It was a pleasant trip. there to many stairs. From the parking lot there are two ways to get to the castle. One is very steep with a lot of stairs and the second one is longer but more pleasant for people with bad knees. There is a great view form the top of the castle.
Tomasz Urbański (3 years ago)
Very nice place. Beautiful landscape. Relatively high price.
Dominika Mináriková (3 years ago)
Nice castle near Zilina. Amazing view from the tower. Ideal for families with children for whole day trip.
Jaroslav Konôpka (3 years ago)
Very nice place, good views to surrounding areas. Old castle including museum and with replica of old village under castle. Suitable to take small kids...
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Most beautiful castles in Lithuania
Photo from Flickr, copyright Giåm

Historic Site of the week

Glimmingehus

Glimmingehus is the best preserved medieval stronghold in Scandinavia. It was built 1499-1506, during an era when Scania formed a vital part of Denmark, and contains many defensive arrangements of the era, such as parapets, false doors and dead-end corridors, 'murder-holes' for pouring boiling pitch over the attackers, moats, drawbridges and various other forms of death traps to surprise trespassers and protect the nobles against peasant uprisings. The lower part of the castle's stone walls are 2.4 meters (94 inches) thick and the upper part 1.8 meters (71 inches).

Construction was started in 1499 by the Danish knight Jens Holgersen Ulfstand and stone-cutter-mason and architect Adam van Düren, a North German master who also worked on Lund Cathedral. Construction was completed in 1506.

Ulfstand was a councillor, nobleman and admiral serving under John I of Denmark and many objects have been uncovered during archeological excavations that demonstrate the extravagant lifestyle of the knight's family at Glimmingehus up until Ulfstand's death in 1523. Some of the most expensive objects for sale in Europe during this period, such as Venetian glass, painted glass from the Rhine district and Spanish ceramics have been found here. Evidence of the family's wealth can also be seen inside the stone fortress, where everyday comforts for the knight's family included hot air channels in the walls and bench seats in the window recesses. Although considered comfortable for its period, it has also been argued that Glimmingehus was an expression of "Knighthood nostalgia" and not considered opulent or progressive enough even to the knight's contemporaries and especially not to later generations of the Scanian nobility. Glimmingehus is thought to have served as a residential castle for only a few generations before being transformed into a storage facility for grain.

An order from Charles XI to the administrators of the Swedish dominion of Scania in 1676 to demolish the castle, in order to ensure that it would not fall into the hands of the Danish king during the Scanian War, could not be executed. A first attempt, in which 20 Scanian farmers were ordered to assist, proved unsuccessful. An additional force of 130 men were sent to Glimmingehus to execute the order in a second attempt. However, before they could carry out the order, a Danish-Dutch naval division arrived in Ystad, and the Swedes had to abandon the demolition attempts. Throughout the 18th century the castle was used as deposit for agricultural produce and in 1924 it was donated to the Swedish state. Today it is administered by the Swedish National Heritage Board.

On site there is a museum, medieval kitchen, shop and restaurant and coffee house. During summer time there are several guided tours daily. In local folklore, the castle is described as haunted by multiple ghosts and the tradition of storytelling inspired by the castle is continued in the summer events at the castle called "Strange stories and terrifying tales".

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2021 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.