Two models in one - historical reconstruction and current state.
ABOUT LIETAVA CASTLE
Lietava Castle is located in the western Slovakia, on the eastern part of the Sulovske Rocks. Its name probably originated from the nearby river Rajčianka, which was called Letava in the past.
The castle was founded in the second half of the 13th century, when it served as an administrative and military seat. The first documented owner of the castle was the Balasov family. During their era, a four-story tower with a square floor plan, a small palace, a chapel and a defensive wall were built on the rock, which stretched northeast of the tower.
At the end of the 13th century, the castle was occupied by Matus Cak of Trencin. After his death in 1321, the castle passed into the hands of the king Charles Robert and after him, his son Ludwig, followed by Stephen Bebek od Plesivec, and afterwards, the king Sigismund of Luxembourg. In the second half of the 15th century, the owner was King Matthias Corvin, who donated Lietava to the military commander Paul Kindzi, who already owned the nearby Strecno Castle. During his era, many changes were made – a new outer part was built on the northern side of the castle, a bastion, a large residential and defensive tower near the access gate, and both fortifications and residential parts were improved.
The 16th century was the period of the greatest prosperity. At the beginning of this century, the owner was Nicholas Kostka. His daughter got married to Francis Thurzo. Mr Thurzo paid a lot of attention to the castle, he even hired contractors from Italy, who expanded and rebuilt the castle in the Renaissance Style. They paid attention to the high-quality fortifications, the comfort of the inhabitants and the representative appearance from the outside, as well as the interior decoration. The last wall ring was built with a new gate and another gate nicknamed Orlová (Eagle Gate). At that time, a large military garrison with almost 300 members stayed in Lietava.
However, the Thurzo family gradually lost interest in Lietava. At the end of 17th century, the castle was already abandoned and gradually fell into despair. Today, it is just a ruin. Currently, the owner of the castle is the Association for the Rescue of the Lietava Castle, which strives for its conservation and static security. The castle is open to public. Visitors can admire not only its architecture, but also wonderful views of the landscape.
 Lietava Castle 2 01 |
 Lietava Castle 2 02 |
 Lietava Castle 2 03 |
 Lietava Castle 2 04 |
 Lietava Castle 2 05 |
 Lietava Castle 2 06 |
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