Bojnice Castle ( sk, Bojnický zámok, hu, Bajmóci vár) is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

Bojnice Bojnice (german: Weinitz; hu, Bajmóc) is a historical town in central Slovakia located on the Nitra river, near the city of Prievidza. The town is situated just below the Bojnice Castle. It has a population of around 5,000. Bojnice is best k ...

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

. It is a Romanesque castle with some original

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

and

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

elements built in the 12th century. Bojnice Castle is one of the most visited castles in Slovakia, receiving hundreds of thousands of visitors every year and also being a popular filming stage for

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

and fairy-tale movies. It was owned by Hungarian kings and nobleman from the 12th century until the territory became part of

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

after the

Treaty of Trianon The Treaty of Trianon (french: Traité de Trianon, hu, Trianoni békeszerződés, it, Trattato del Trianon) was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in Versailles on 4 June 1920. It forma ...

in 1920 and was acquired by a Czech entrepreneur in 1939.

History

Bojnice Castle was first mentioned in written records in 1113, in a document held at the Zobor Abbey. Originally built as a wooden fort, it was gradually replaced by stone, with the outer walls being shaped according to the uneven rocky terrain. Its first owner was Hungarian nobleman Matthew III Csák, who received it in 1302 from the King Ladislaus V of

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

. Later, in the 15th century, it was owned by King

Matthias Corvinus Matthias Corvinus, also called Matthias I ( hu, Hunyadi Mátyás, ro, Matia/Matei Corvin, hr, Matija/Matijaš Korvin, sk, Matej Korvín, cz, Matyáš Korvín; ), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several m ...

, who gave it to his illegitimate son

John Corvinus John Corvinus ( Hungarian: ''Corvin János'', Croatian: ''Ivaniš Korvin'', Romanian: ''Ioan Corvin''; 2 April 1473 – 12 October 1504) was the illegitimate son of Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, and his mistress, Barbara Edelpöck. Biog ...

in 1489. Matthias liked to visit

and it was here that he worked on his royal decrees. He used to dictate them under a linden tree, which is now known as the "Linden tree of King Matthias". After his death the castle became the property of the Zápolya family (see

John Zápolya John Zápolya or Szapolyai ( hu, Szapolyai/ Zápolya János, hr, Ivan Zapolja, ro, Ioan Zápolya, sk, Ján Zápoľský; 1490/91 – 22 July 1540), was King of Hungary (as John I) from 1526 to 1540. His rule was disputed by Archduke Fer ...

), a Hungarian noble family. The Thurzós, the richest family in the northern Kingdom of Hungary, acquired the castle in 1528 and undertook its major reconstruction. The former fortress was turned into a

castle. From 1646 on, the castle's owners were the Pálffys, who continued to rebuild the castle. Finally, the last famous castle owner from the Pálffy family, Hungarian Count

János Ferenc Pálffy János or Janos may refer to: * János, male Hungarian given name, a variant of John Places * Janos Municipality, a municipality of Chihuahua ** Janos, Chihuahua, town in Mexico ** Janos Biosphere Reserve, a nature reserve in Chihuahua * Jano ...

(1829-1908), made a complex romantic reconstruction from 1888 to 1910 and created today's imitation of

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

castles of the

Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhôn ...

valley. He not only had the castle built, but also was the architect and graphic designer. He utilized his artistic taste and love for collecting pieces of art. He was one of the greatest collectors of antiques, tapestries, drawings, paintings and sculptures of his time. After his death and long quarrels, his heirs sold many precious pieces of art from the castle and then, on 25 February 1939, sold the castle, the health spa, and the surrounding land to Czech entrepreneur

Jan Antonín Baťa Jan Antonín Baťa (March 7, 1898 – August 23, 1965) (also known as ''Jan Antonin Bata'' or ''Jan Bata'', called The King of Shoes) was a Czech- Brazilian shoe manufacturer from Uherské Hradiště (southeastern Moravia), half-brother of Tomáš ...

(owner of the shoe company Bata). After 1945, when Baťa's property was confiscated by the Czechoslovak government, the castle became the seat of several state institutions. On 9 May 1950, a fire broke out in the castle, but it was rebuilt at government expense. After this reconstruction, a museum specializing in the documentation and presentation of the era of architectural neo-styles was opened here. Bojnice Museum is now part of the Slovak National Museum today.

Description

The castle is renowned for its attractions, including the popular Castle Fairytale, the International Festival of Ghosts and Spirits and the Summer Music Festival. The romantic castle is also a popular location for filming fairy tale movies, such as '' Fantaghirò''. In 2006, the castle attracted about 200,000 visitors. It hosts the single most popular museum in Slovakia and has featured in many movies.

Legends of the Castle

There are many legends relating to the Bojnice Castle, known mostly to the locals. These include the Legend of a Broken Heart, The Story of Peter Poky and the most famous of them all, The Legend of the Black Lady.

Castle park

Bojnice Castle is surrounded by the castle park featuring numerous species of trees. The park also contains the Bojnice Zoo, the oldest and one of the most visited

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to z ...

s in Slovakia. The castle park continues in the form of a forest park in the

Strážov Mountains The Strážov Mountains ( sk, Strážovské vrchy, ) are a mountain range in northwestern Slovakia, being part of Inner Western Carpathians, and of the Fatra-Tatra Area. They are situated between the towns of Trenčín, Považská Bystrica, Rajec ...

Gallery

Image:Slovakia Bojnice Castle 2004 hires.jpg, Bojnice Castle, 2004 Image:Castle Bojnice SK.jpg, Bojnice Castle, 2007 Image:Bojnice - zámok - panoramio.jpg, Bojnice Castle Image:BojniceZámek.JPG, View of Bojnice Castle from west. Image:Bojnicky zamok 4.jpg, Bojnice Castle as seen from the town Image:Bojnicky zamok - pohrebny voz.jpg, Pálffy funeral carriage inside the castle Image:BojniceCastle-night.jpg, Bojnice Castle at night, 2015

References

External links

Bojnice CastleCastles.info - Bojnice castleVirtualtour of Bojnice castle
{{Authority control Castles in Slovakia Tourist attractions in Trenčín Region History museums in Slovakia Gothic architecture in Slovakia Renaissance architecture in Slovakia Historic house museums in Europe 14th-century architecture in Slovakia Gothic Revival architecture in Slovakia 19th-century architecture in Slovakia Buildings and structures in Trenčín Region