We love castles, and we especially like ruins that we can explore on our own, without a guide. And during our weekend in the Súľovské vrchy, we managed to see two such castles.
Považský hrad is the ruin of a castle on a steep hill on the right bank of the Váh River. According to unverified reports, the castle was built in 1128 to protect the important Považský road. However, the first mention of it dates back to 1316, where it is mentioned as Bystrický hrad.
The oldest part of the castle was the tower, standing on the highest point of the rampart, and the Gothic palace. The large oval-shaped forecourt was surrounded by a castle wall, which was protected from the NE by two prismatic towers. The access road, leading to the castle from the NE, is still visible in the terrain today. The entrance gate was protected by a prismatic tower with a barbican.
The walls of the palace, towers and fortifications have been partially preserved. Window openings are visible on the palace, in places with preserved Renaissance cornices. Of the former farm buildings built in the courtyard, only parts of the walls, or their foundations, are visible. In some rooms there are remains of Renaissance vaults.
Lietava Castle is located 10 km from the regional capital Žilina near the Cibuľník hill on the eastern edge of the Súľovské vrchy mountains.
In terms of its level of preservation, it is among the largest (1 hectare of built-up area) and most beautifully preserved ruins not only in Slovakia, but also in Central Europe.
The demise of the Gothic-Renaissance castle dates back to 1753 and the ruins were abandoned in the forest until 1999. That is when the Lietava Castle Preservation Association was established, which has been saving the buildings since 2003, through sensitive stabilization, conservation and partial restoration. The castle is still a freely accessible ruin.
The castle proudly towers over the landscape and offers a wonderful view of the surroundings. The castle walls of the individual buildings still stand to a considerable height. They have preserved window openings, possibly entrances and architectural details, stone profiled consoles of the former bay window, arched attics, cannon and key loopholes, and in places parts of profiled linings. In the premises of the former chapel, the ramparts of stone Gothic ribs and the remains of plaster on some walls have been preserved.
However, we couldn’t enjoy the views because it rained the whole way up and the castle was surrounded by thick fog.
