Spiš Castle: Difference between revisions

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Template:Geobox The ruins of Spiš Castle (Slovak: Spišský hrad, pronunciation^ⓘ; 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 (Hungarian: Szepes, German: Zips, Polish: Spisz, Template:Lang-la). 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). This is one of the biggest European castles by area (41 426 m²).

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^[1] of the Kingdom of Hungary. Before 1464, it was owned by the kings of Hungary, afterwards (until 1528) by the Zápolya family, the Thurzó family (1531–1635), the Csáky family (1638–1945), and (since 1945) by the state of Czechoslovakia then Slovakia.

Originally a Romanesque stone castle with fortifications, a two-story Romanesque palace and a three-nave Romanesque-Gothic basilica were constructed 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 Zápolya 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 Csáky family, abandoned the castle in the early 18th century because they considered it too uncomfortable to live in. They moved to the newly built nearby village castles/palaces in Hodkovce near Žehra and Spišský Hrhov.

Decline and reconstruction

In 1780, the castle burned down. It is not known how it burned down, but there are a few theories. One is that the Csáky family purposely burned it down to reduce taxes (no roofs back then meant no taxes). Another is that it was struck by lightning, which started the fire. A third is that some soldiers there were making moonshine and managed to burn the castle. Whatever the case, after the fire, the castle was no longer occupied and began to fall into disrepair.^[2] 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 and things inside it, such as torture devices used in the castle.

References

^ Kenneth Meyer Setton, The Papacy and the Levant, 1204–1571, American Philosophical Society, 1984, p. 315 [1]
^ Template:Sk icon [2]

External links

[1] Kenneth Meyer Setton, The Papacy and the Levant, 1204–1571, American Philosophical Society, 1984, p. 315 [1]

[2] Template:Sk icon [2]

[1]

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@@ Line 73: / Line 73: @@
 [[Image:Szepescivertanlegi4.jpg|thumb|left|Aerial photography of the castle]]
 [[File:Spiš Castle 4.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Spiš castle - the central part.]]
-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]]<ref>Kenneth Meyer Setton, The Papacy and the Levant, 1204–1571, American Philosophical Society, 1984, p. 315 [https://books.google.com/books?id=EgQNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA315]</ref> of the [[Kingdom of Hungary]]. Before 1464, it was owned by the [[List of rulers of Hungary|kings of Hungary]], afterwards (until 1528) by the [[John Zápolya|Zápolya]] family, the [[Thurzó]] family (1531–1635), the [[Imre Csáky (cardinal)|Csáky]] family (1638–1945), аnd (since 1945) by the state of [[Czechoslovakia]] then [[Slovakia]].
+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]]<ref>Kenneth Meyer Setton, The Papacy and the Levant, 1204–1571, American Philosophical Society, 1984, p. 315 [https://books.google.com/books?id=EgQNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA315]</ref> of the [[Kingdom of Hungary]]. Before 1464, it was owned by the [[List of rulers of Hungary|kings of Hungary]], afterwards (until 1528) by the [[John Zápolya|Zápolya]] family, the [[Thurzó]] family (1531–1635), the [[Imre Csáky (cardinal)|Csáky]] family (1638–1945), and (since 1945) by the state of [[Czechoslovakia]] then [[Slovakia]].
 Originally a [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] stone castle with fortifications, a two-story Romanesque palace and a three-nave Romanesque-[[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] basilica were constructed 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 [[John Zápolya|Zápolya]] 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.

v t e World Heritage Sites in Slovakia
Cultural	Historic Town of Banská Štiavnica and Technical Monuments in its Vicinity Levoča, Spiš Castle and associated cultural monuments Levoča Spiš Castle Spišská Kapitula Žehra Spišské Podhradie Vlkolínec Bardejov Town Monument Reserve Wooden Churches of the Slovak Carpathians Hervartov Tvrdošín Kežmarok Leštiny Hronsek Bodružal Ladomírová Ruská Bystrá
Natural	Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst¹ Domica Gombasecká Jasovská Krásnohorská Ochtinská Dobšinská Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe² Havešova Stužica Rožok Kyjovský prales
¹ with Hungary ² with Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine