Zvolen Castle ( sk, Zvolenský zámok or incorrectly , hu, zólyomi vár) is a medieval castle located on a hill near the center of

Zvolen Zvolen (; hu, Zólyom; german: Altsohl) is a town in central Slovakia, situated on the confluence of Hron and Slatina rivers, close to Banská Bystrica. It is surrounded by Poľana mountain from the East, by Kremnické vrchy from the West ...

, in central

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 s ...

. It was a part of the Kingdom of Hungary from the 1370's until 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. The original seat of the region was above the confluence of Slatina and

Hron The Hron ( sk, Hron; german: Gran; hu, Garam; la, Granus) is a long left tributary of the Danube Pustý hrad Pustý hrad ( hu, Pusztavár) is a castle whose ruins are located on a forested hill in the southern part of Zvolen in central Slovakia. With an area of 76,000 m² it is arguably one of the largest medieval castles in Europe. The original name wa ...

(meaning "Deserted castle"). Its difficult access had consequence in relocation of the seat to the new-built Zvolen castle, which was ordered by

Louis I the Great Louis I, also Louis the Great ( hu, Nagy Lajos; hr, Ludovik Veliki; sk, Ľudovít Veľký) or Louis the Hungarian ( pl, Ludwik Węgierski; 5 March 132610 September 1382), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1342 and King of Poland from 1370. ...

as a hunting residence of Hungarian kings. The future queen regnant

Mary of Hungary Mary, also known as Maria of Anjou (, , ; 137117 May 1395), reigned as Queen of Hungary and Croatia (officially 'king') between 1382 and 1385, and from 1386 until her death. She was the daughter of Louis the Great, King of Hungary and Poland ...

and emperor

Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it '' Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

celebrated their wedding there in 1385.

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It ...

of the castle built between 1360 and 1382 was inspired by Italian castles of the fourteenth century. Italian masons also contributed to a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

reconstruction in 1548. The last major reconstruction occurred in 1784, when the chapel was rebuilt into the Baroque style. Zvolen Castle hosts a regional branch of the

Slovak National Gallery The Slovak National Gallery ( sk, Slovenská národná galéria, abbreviated SNG) is a network of galleries in Slovakia. It has its headquarters in Bratislava. The gallery was established by law on 29 July 1949. In Bratislava, it has its display ...

with an exposition of old European masters, including works by P. P. Rubens, Paolo Veronese, and

William Hogarth William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraver, pictorial satirist, social critic, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like ...

. There is also a popular

tea room A teahouse (mainly Asia) or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment whic ...

located in the castle.

History

Zvolen castle was built by Louis I of Hungary, who built it like a gothic hunting castle. It was finished in 1382, when it was witness to an engagement of his daughter Mary and Sigismund.

John Jiskra of Brandýs John Jiskra of Brandýs ( cs, Jan Jiskra z Brandýsa; german: Johann Giskra von Brandeis; hu, Jiskra János; c. 1400 – c. 1469), in English sometimes referred as John Giskra, was a Czech strategist and mercenary soldier. John Jiskra came from ...

, who became one of the most powerful commanders in Hungary and this castle was one of his manors from 1440 to 1462. The castle was also often visited 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 ...

with his wife Beatrice, who used this castle as a manor from 1490. About 1500 the external fortifications were built up with four round bastions and entrance gate. In the middle of the 16th century was built another floor with embrasures and corner oriel towers. About 1590 an artillery bastion was built also. The castle was rebuilt many times, but it retains its Renaissance look. The castle was nominated as a National culture monument for its historic, art and architecture values and it was reconstructed in the 1960s. The

has a seat in this castle now, where it presents its expositions.

Present

Every year The Zvolen Castle Plays are introduced to huge numbers of visitors. Here you can see actors and theatres from Slovakia, but also from other countries. The castle also offers a rental of its King hall, Column hall and Knightly hall, which is useful for organizing concerts, receptions, wedding ceremonies, etc. Now you can also se
a computer model
of this castle, which was made as an academic project.

External links

Pustý hrad and the Zvolen castle on the municipal site
{{Authority control Castles in Slovakia Buildings and structures in Zvolen Tourist attractions in Banská Bystrica Region Art museums and galleries in Slovakia