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Spissky Castle (Zehra) - 2018 All You Need to Know Before You Go (with Photos) - TripAdvisor

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Spissky Castle, Zehra: See 449 reviews, articles, and 627 photos of Spissky Castle on TripAdvisor.

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Levoca and Spis Castle are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Slovakia, Europe. A well-preserved collection of buildings once used for military, political, and religious purposes, the World Heritage Site features Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles. The region was a Saxon colony from the Middle Ages, and is an important cultural center in Eastern Europe.

Spis Castle (or Spissky Hrad) was one of the largest castles in Eastern Europe, set above the towns of Spisske Podhradie and Zehra, also part of the UNESCO site. Spis Castle once served as the capital of Szepes (Spis) county. The castle was first built in the 12th century, but that construction collapsed because it was built along fault lines. The castle that stands today was built in the early 13 century to defend against Tatar invasions. The palace was completed in 1249, while the keep was finished in 1270. A Gothic chapel was added in 1470. The palace was home to noble families, like the Szapolyai (or Zapolya, one-time king of Hungary) family until 1528, the Thurzo family from 1531 to 1635, and the Csaky family (1638-1945). Today, the castle is in ruins from a fire in 1780, though it was partially reconstructed in the late 20th century, and the government owns and maintains the grounds.

Excavations on the castle have uncovered a moat and other buildings, like the Captain's home and buildings from the Puchov culture.

In 2009, the historic center of Levoca was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site for its Renaissance buildings, surrounded by city walls, with the gates to the city: Kosice Gate, Menhard Gate, and Polish Gate. Levoca's Church of St. James is home to a famous altar constructed by Master Paul. Constructed from wood in 1520, Master Paul's altar is Europe's highest wooden altar. The Church of St James is famous in its own right for being the second largest church in Slovakia, made of 10 altars, constructed throughout the 15th and 16th centuries.

Other sites in Levoca are the Old Town Hall, built from the 15th to 17th century, the Luthern church, built in 1837, and the Cage of Shame - a wrought iron cage once used as a form of public punishment.

Spisske Podhradie, a settlement below the castle, was home to merchants. It contained a church that was destroyed by the Tatars, and was rebuilt in 1258 to 1273. Its reconstruction was done in the Romanesque style by the same builders who constructed the first version of the castle. The town was rebuilt around the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In its heyday in the 15th century, Spisske Podhradie was a major textile producer for the region.

The town of Zehra was an early Slovak settlement in the area, and part of the castle. The site includes the Church of the Holy Spirit, notable for its medieval frescoes.

Spis Castle & Levoca Map

Facts about Spis Castle & Levoca

The city walls of Levoca measure 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) long.

The altar built by Master Paul of Levoca measures 18.6 meters (61 feet) tall.

Levoca was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009, at the same time the name was changed to Levoca, Spissky Hrad, and the Associated Cultural Monuments.

Where is Spis Castle & Levoca?

Spis Castle and Levoca are located in western Slovakia. Visitors can travel to Levoca via bus from any of the nearby major cities in Slovakia. From Levoca, there are public buses to visit Spis Castle, but there is a steep climb to get to the top of the hill where the castle is situated.

Best time to visit Spis Castle & Levoca

Visitors are not generally advised to go to Spis Castle during winter - the indoor exhibit closes from November through February. Summer is also recommended because it offers events like shows with knights and festivals.

More on Spis Castle & Levoca

Nearby Attractions: Kosice, Slovak Paradise National Park, High Tatras

Photo by Ronnie Macdonald
Published On: Thursday, June 13th, 2013

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Spis Castle (Spissky Hrad) - Levoca, Slovakia

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Levoca and Spis Castle are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Slovakia, Europe. A well-preserved collection of buildings once used for military, political, and religious purposes, the World Heritage Site features Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles. The region was a Saxon colony from the Middle Ages, and is an important cultural center in Eastern Europe.

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The Entrance: Nowadays lonely standing stone columns, they were originally connected with wooden girders and thus created the first defense line. Behind them, there was a deep ditch, then a high wall in front of the 15th century Gothic entrance gate. This gate could be closed by a hoist-bridge or by a strong iron falling grillage. In the center of the middle courtyard there was a house of the main guard. Houses of other guards were situated along the walls and granaries were at the back of the courtyard. On the left side, through a strong gate you would get to a large lower courtyard. It was used not only for castle troops, but it could also be used as a safe place for the local population. In its lower part, there still can be seen foundations of a round object. A massive ditch and a wooden palisade surrounded it. Occasionally it was used as gun storage. After the walls of the courtyard were built, the tower lost its original function of a fortress.

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It was very difficult to find a floor plan for this castle, however, I found one in Slovakian that just might be the Spis Castle.

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Middle Courtyard:

If we come back to the middle courtyard and steeply ascent through the gate to a roman courtyard (it was swamped before the archaeological research), we will notice ruins of a local administrator palace, foundations of a mill and a small "cave" cut in stone. On the other side, there is well preserved roman gate, through which we can get to the upper part of the Spiš castle. Later, one more gate was added. It was possible to get to the gate only through a wooden construction. Nowadays the gate seems to end in the "air". The upper part of the castle is of course the oldest and the most precious. In the stone opposite to the entrance, there is a small cistern. It is connected with surface only by a narrow opening. On the right side, in front of the above-mentioned roman gate, you can notice stonewalls from the 18th century. Opposite, there were originally Gothic and renaissance houses of castle owners.In the middle, there is a "donjon" - a circle tower from the 13th century. Originally it was open only in the first floor. Behind the tower, you will notice a circle shaped wall, that was deemed to be a ruin of the cistern. Behind the chapel, there is the most precious part of the castle - a massive, 3-floor roman palace, rebuilt in the Gothic style in the 15-16th century.

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Spis is said to be Slovakia's most famous castle ruin and is now among the largest castle complexes on the continent, covering near 10 acres.

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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. 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.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spi%C5%A1_Castle

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Spišský hrad

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Several movies like Dragonheart or The Last Legion were filmed here

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Spis Castle (Spišský hrad), Slovakia - Its a BIG Sucker!

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Spišský hrad in the Slovak Republic is one of the biggest castles in the world. This video shows how far it is from one end of the fortress to the other. Whoever had to carry all those rocks up that mountain to build that thing must have been in pretty good shape, I had a hard enough time climbing to the top with just an ice-cream cone.

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Located in the lands of Spis, the north-western region of Eastern Slovakia, Spišský hrad or Spis Castle is one of the most beautiful ancient castles of Slovakia. It is known as one of the largest castles of Central Europe, as well as one of the castles of the highest location.

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After ten years of archaeological research, the history of the castle really fell into place. The current circle tower, roman palace, and other parts of the upper part of the castle were built at the beginning of the 13th century once Belo IV realized that castles were very effective in the defense against the Tatars. He instructed the local administrator to build a tower and a palace at the Spiš Castle in 1249. This was the history of the palace that was built as the first additional building next to the castle. Many battles took place at the castle at that time, especially in the second half of the 13th century. The castle became the center of the county. It was a seat of many important nobles. For instance, in 1275 it was a seat of a noble Roland who revolted against the king. Later Queen Elisabeth Kumánska, mother of Ladislav IV, owned the castle. The struggle for the castle ownership was the reason of many fights in the 14th century. Matúš Čák Trenčiansky, the most powerful noble at that time, aimed to conquer the castle in 1312 - without success. As a result, the castle was enlarged and rebuilt in the Gothic style shortly after.  Ján Jiskra from Brandýs gained the Spiš castle in 1443 while fighting for the rights of Ladislav Pohrobok. Firstly he got a small fortress build at the slope bellow the castle. Later he decided to build a large courtyard. An important breaking point in the history of the castle was the year 1464, when the king donated the castle to the nobles Imrich and Stephan Zápoľský. It is interesting that although the Zápoľský family owned more than 70 castles, the Spiš castle was their seat. They modernized and built a chapel, heightened and thickened the tower, and rebuilt the roman palace in the Gothic style. Ján Zápoľský, the last king before Habsburgs, was also born at the castle. Three years after (in 1531) they donated the castle to Alexius Turzo. The Turzo family rebuilt it in the Renaissance style. After their male successors died out in 1636, the Csáky family owned the castle till 1945. They lived in the castle only till the end of the 17-th century. Just a small military unit stayed at the castle. They left in 1780 after it burned down. From that time forward the castle became a ruin. It has gone under repair and reconstruction for the few past years after long detailed research. The lower courtyard was open to public in 1983.

http://www.spisskyhrad.sk/en.html

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After preservation, the castle serves as a museum, and, at the same time, as an exhibited item. The large lower ward has been opened to the visitors who can learn about the history of this part of the castle, admire the preserved ramparts, towers, barbican, the small Jiskra's fortress, but also the ancient objects from the turn of our millennium. In the upper castle, the chapel is opened to the public, housing a small museum with collections concerning the castle and its environs, then an interesting collection of arms and armors and an exposition of medieval justice - placed in the rooms of the old chapel. There is a magnificent view from the castle to its surroundings. To the North there is an archaeological site Nemešany-Zálužany, where the landlord's farm buildings from the 13th -15th centuries have been discovered. In the castle's vicinity is a travertine hill Sivá Brada with a chapel on top of it and a source of mineral water. The locality is a State Nature's Reserve.

http://www.slovakheritage.org/Unesco/spiscastle.htm