Spiš Castle

Geobox|Building
name = Spiš Castle
native_name = Spišský hrad
category = Castle

---

image_caption =Spiš Castle
official_name =
etymology =
nickname =


symbol =
country = Slovakia
state =
region = Košice
district = Spišská Nová Ves
municipality = Žehra
location =
elevation =634
prominence =
lat_d =48 | lat_m =59 | lat_s =55 | lat_NS =N
long_d =20 | long_m =45 | long_s =38 | long_EW =E
length = | length_orientation =
width = | width_orientation =
height =
depth =
volume =
area =
author =
style = Romanesque | style1 = Gothic | style2 = Renaissance
material = masonry|stone
established = 12th century
date = 1780
date_type = Abandoned
owner =
public =
visitation = 170000 | visitation_date = 2006
access =
whs_name =Spišský Hrad and its Associated Cultural Monuments
whs_year =1993
whs_number =620
whs_region =Europe and North America
whs_criteria =iv
iucn_category =Cultural
free = | free_type =


symbol =
country = Slovakia
state =
region = Košice
district = Spišská Nová Ves
municipality = Žehra
location =
elevation =634
prominence =
lat_d =48 | lat_m =59 | lat_s =55 | lat_NS =N
long_d =20 | long_m =45 | long_s =38 | long_EW =E
length = | length_orientation =
width = | width_orientation =
height =
depth =
volume =
area =
author =
style = Romanesque | style1 = Gothic | style2 = Renaissance
material = masonry|stone
established = 12th century
date = 1780
date_type = Abandoned
owner =
public =
visitation = 170000 | visitation_date = 2006
access =
whs_name =Spišský Hrad and its Associated Cultural Monuments
whs_year =1993
whs_number =620
whs_region =Europe and North America
whs_criteria =iv
iucn_category =Cultural
free = | free_type =

---

map_caption = Location of Spiš Castle in Slovakia
map_background = Slovakia - background map.png map_locator =Slovakia
map1 = Košice Region - outline map.svg
map1_caption = Location of Spiš Castle in the Košice Region
map1_background = Košice Region - background map.png map1_locator = Košice Region
commons = Spiš Castle
website =
footnotes =

The ruins of Spiš Castle (Slovak: Audio|Spissky hrad.ogg|"Spišský hrad", Hungarian:"Szepesi vár", German: "Zipser Burg") in eastern Slovakia form one of the largest castle sites in Central Europe. The castle is situated above the town of Spišské Podhradie and the village of Žehra, in the region known as Spiš (Szepes). It was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1993 (together with the adjacent locations of Spišská Kapitula, Spišské Podhradie and Žehra).

History

Spiš Castle was built in the 12th century on the site of an earlier castle. It was the political, administrative, economic and cultural centre of Szepes county. Before 1464, it was owned by Hungarian kings, afterwards (until 1528) by the Szapolyai family, the Thurzo family (1531-1635), the Csáky family (1638-1945), аnd (since 1945) by the State.Originally a Romanesque stone castle with fortifications, a two-story Romanesque palace and a three nave Romanesque-Gothic basilica were constructed in the area by the second half of the 13th century. A second extramural settlement was built in the 14th century, by which the castle area was doubled. The castle was completely rebuilt in the 15th century; the castle walls were heightened and a third extramural settlement was constructed. A late Gothic chapel was added around 1470. The Szapolyai clan performed late Gothic transformations, which made the upper castle into a comfortable family residence, typical of late Renaissance residences of the 16th and 17th centuries. The last owners of the Spiš Castle the family Csáky deserted the castle, in early 18th century considered too uncomfortable to live in. They moved to the newly build nearby village castles/palaces in Hodkovce by Žehra (Zsigra) and Spišský Hrhov (Görgő). In 1780, the castle burned down and has been in ruins since. The castle was partly reconstructed in the second half of the 20th century, and extensive archaeological research was carried out on the site. The reconstructed sections house displays of the Spiš Museum.

Present day

In 2006, the castle attracted about 170,000 visitors. [ [http://www.sme.sk/c/3292416/Spissky-hrad-otvoril-svoje-brany-navstevnikom.html SME] ] The castle is also frequently used as a location for films, including "Dragonheart" (1996), "Phoenix" , "Kull the Conqueror" (1997), "The Lion in Winter" (2003), "The Last Legion" (2006).

References

External links

* [http://www.spisskyhrad.com/ Official website of Spiš Castle] sk icon
* [http://www.spisskyhrad.sk/en.html Tourist information about Spiš Castle and nearby Dreveník]
* [http://www.slovakheritage.org/Unesco/spiscastle.htm History of Spiš Castle]
* [http://www.panoramy.net/thumbnails.php?album=64 Panoramic photos of Spiš Castle]