It’s that time of year when the Christmas markets around Europe are starting. In the five years I lived in Slovakia, I’ve visited vianočné trhy – Christmas markets in Bratislava and Nitra but almost all the larger towns and cities will have one, usually from the weekend beginning with Advent until December 24th.
Here it is. Finally. My list of the top 10 castles in Slovakia.
It was a difficult task for me to pick what I thought were the best in Slovakia. First off, I haven’t seen every castle or ruin in the country, and secondly, opinions are subjective.
My rankings are based on a few things: some are prominent Slovak symbols (Bratislava and Devín Castles), some have significant value to Slovak history (Nitra, Devín, and Trenčín Castles), some are just plain gorgeous to look at, inside and out (Bojnice and Orava Castles), and others are popular by word of mouth (Spiš, Krásna Hôrka, and Čachtice Castles).
My thanks to those who provided feedback on my initial query on the best castles in Slovakia.
A collection of pictures is at the end of this post.
What are the best castles to visit in Slovakia? Which ones are must see? Are you going to Slovakia soon and want to know what amazing castles should you see along your trip? Or have you recently returned from Slovakia and have something to recommend? What about you native Slovaks out there? Is there a fascinating castle or ruin somewhere hidden in the countryside that most people don’t know about?
I’d love to hear from you.
I read some news that I thought was pretty cool: a company mining in the Žilina region announced a little over a week ago that they’ve discovered rich deposits of gold. The company, EMED Mining has been drilling in the hills east of Žilina. This is exciting news because gold has never been found in this area around Žilina before. And not only that, but it seems that there’s a lot of gold to be found.
Bratislava castle is in the midst of a reconstruction project and according to an article in the Slovak Spectator, the project will take place over the next four to five years. Though some areas will be restricted, the castle is not shut down and visitors are still welcomed.
What are they doing? They are restabilizing the castle’s foundation as well as renovating castle hill and the surrounding areas, back to their original Baroque look.
Recently I read an article in the Slovak Spectator about the Hotel Kyjev, called Jewel of modernist architecture slated for demolition. The hotel, located in Bratislava at Kamenné námestie, may be destroyed along with the Prior (Tesco) department store buildings as part of a development project called “Centre Plaza”. No date has been set for any action.
If you spend an extended amount of time or live in Bratislava, part of your shopping experience may be visiting one of the city’s open markets. An open market includes stalls and vendors selling everything from locally bottled honey and fresh bread, to cheap Chinese-made clothing.
The biggest of these markets is on Miletičová street. I often enjoyed going to this market. In my estimation, it has the biggest selection of fresh fruits and vegetables and I was always able to find a good selection of preserved-bottled goods. I also always bought sweet breads and, at some point, had to have langoš – fried dough topped with cheese and ketchup.
Slavín is the name of a memorial in Bratislava, located on a hill close to the city center. It was opened in 1960 and is a memorial and cemetery of the Soviet soldiers that died while fighting to liberate the city from the Axis units, mainly made up of Germans, in April 1945.
Slavín is a neat place to visit if you want to see some spectacular panoramic views of Bratislava and clear views of Bratislava castle. Once, some friends and I went up to take some pictures. We did a little exploring at the top, and found a little path that led us to the side and away from the monument (looking at the image on the right, you’d go down the stairs in the direction of Nový most, about half way until you see a small path on the right side). There behind the trees we found a free-standing bunker. I was surprised. When was it built, who built it, and what were they defending against?
For someone like me who likes to imagine what village life in Europe was like centuries ago, the village museum of Vlkolínec is a treat. Imagine being able to walk through a village where traditional houses are preserved, and to be able to go inside the homes where people once lived and worked. In Vlkolínec you can do exactly that.
Ondrejský cintorín – Ondrej cemetery is located fairly close to the main bus station in Bratislava. It’s actually a pretty neat cemetery because to me, it’s a “Pressburg” cemetery. What I mean by “Pressburg” is that the people who are buried in Ondrejský cintorín reflect the population of Pressburg (the town name of Bratislava before 1918) from the 18th to 20th centuries. If you walk through Ondrejský cintorín, you will see grave stones in three languages, with names of people from three ethnicities: German, Hungarian, and Slovak.
In the section of the cemetery on the left side of the church, there is a pamiatnik – monument to the “Pressburg ‘Robinson’ ”, Karl Jetting. Who was Karl Jetting and why is there a monument to him?
One of the prettiest places I worked in while living in Slovakia was the village of Svätý Jur. I was employed for a great school called Academia Istropolitana Nova and worked as a teacher simultaneously there and in Bratislava. While working in Svätý Jur, I realized the village was special because it perfectly blended its picturesque environment with such an interesting history.
On several different travel forums I’ve seen this question posed more than once:
I have the possibility of traveling to Bratislava since it is so close to Vienna, before I travel to Prague (or Budapest). Is Bratislava worth the stop?
The short answer is yes, it’s worth the trip. The longer answer is, based on the factors that people base their decision, such as time, cost, and interest, here’s why if you have a few hours to spare before on your way to Prague or Budapest, then a trip to Bratislava is worth it:
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