Spiš Castle was built in the twelfth century on the site of an earlier castle. It was the political, administrative, economic and cultural center of Szepes County[2] of the Kingdom of Hungary. Before 1464, it was owned by the kings of Hungary, until the time of King Matthias Corvinus, then (until 1528) by the Zápolya family, the Thurzó family (1531–1635), the Csáky family (1638–1945), and (since 1945) by the state of Czechoslovakia and 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 thirteenth century. A second extramural settlement was built in the fourteenth century, by which the castle area was doubled. The castle was completely rebuilt in the fifteenth 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 sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Decline and reconstructionedit
The last owners of the Spiš Castle, the Csáky family, abandoned the castle in the early eighteenth 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.
In 1780, the castle was destroyed in a fire.[3] The cause of the blaze is unknown, but there are a few theories. One is that the Csáky family purposefully burned it down to reduce taxes as at the time additional taxes applied to roofed buildings. Another is that it was struck by lightning, which started the fire. A third is that some soldiers in the castle were making moonshine and in the process accidentally started the fire. 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 twentieth century, and extensive archaeological research was carried out on the site. The reconstructed sections house displays of the Spiš Museum, which is responsible for managing the castle,[4] and artefacts such as torture devices formerly used in the castle.
Image galleryedit
Overall view of the castle
Lower fortifications
Wall and tower
View from east
A reconstructed view of the castle at its zenith during the sixteenth century
^Setton, Kenneth M. (1984). The Papacy and the Levant (1204-1571): the Sixteenth Century from Julius III to Pius V. American Philosophical Society. ISBN9780871691613. OCLC 20475333. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
^"Spišské múzeum -Poslanie a história múzea (Spiš Museum - mission and history of the museum)". Slovak National Museum (in Slovak). Slovak National Museum. n.d. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
Tourist information about Spiš Castle and nearby Dreveník
History of Spiš Castle
History and photos of Spiš Castle (in Polish)
December 18, 2023
spiš, castle, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, january, 2021. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Spis Castle news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message The ruins of Spis Castle Slovak Spissky hrad pronunciation Hungarian Szepesi var Polish Zamek Spiski German Zipser Burg in eastern Slovakia belong to six largest castles sites in Slovakia 1 The castle is situated above the town of Spisske Podhradie and the village of Zehra in the region known as Spis Hungarian Szepes German Zips Polish Spisz Latin Scepusium It was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1993 together with the adjacent locations of Spisska Kapitula and Zehra The size of the castle are is area 3 9 ha 39 000 m2 It is administered by the Spis Museum at Levoca a division of the Slovak National Museum Spis CastleSpissky hradSpisska Nova Ves Spis in SlovakiaSpis CastleSpis CastleCoordinates49 00 02 N 20 46 06 E 49 00056 N 20 76833 E 49 00056 20 76833TypeCastleArea41 426 sq m Site informationWebsitewww wbr spisskyhrad wbr com wbr english wbr spis castle wbr Site historyBuiltTwelfth centuryMaterialsMasonry Contents 1 History 1 1 Origins 1 2 Decline and reconstruction 2 Image gallery 3 References 4 External linksHistory edit nbsp Aerial photograph of the castle nbsp Spis castle the central partOrigins edit nbsp Matthias Corvinus the lastroyal ownerSpis Castle was built in the twelfth century on the site of an earlier castle It was the political administrative economic and cultural center of Szepes County 2 of the Kingdom of Hungary Before 1464 it was owned by the kings of Hungary until the time of King Matthias Corvinus then until 1528 by the Zapolya family the Thurzo family 1531 1635 the Csaky family 1638 1945 and since 1945 by the state of Czechoslovakia and 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 thirteenth century A second extramural settlement was built in the fourteenth century by which the castle area was doubled The castle was completely rebuilt in the fifteenth century the castle walls were heightened and a third extramural settlement was constructed A late Gothic chapel was added around 1470 The Zapolya clan performed late Gothic transformations which made the upper castle into a comfortable family residence typical of late Renaissance residences of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Decline and reconstruction edit The last owners of the Spis Castle the Csaky family abandoned the castle in the early eighteenth century because they considered it too uncomfortable to live in They moved to the newly built nearby village castles palaces in Hodkovce near Zehra and Spissky Hrhov In 1780 the castle was destroyed in a fire 3 The cause of the blaze is unknown but there are a few theories One is that the Csaky family purposefully burned it down to reduce taxes as at the time additional taxes applied to roofed buildings Another is that it was struck by lightning which started the fire A third is that some soldiers in the castle were making moonshine and in the process accidentally started the fire 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 twentieth century and extensive archaeological research was carried out on the site The reconstructed sections house displays of the Spis Museum which is responsible for managing the castle 4 and artefacts such as torture devices formerly used in the castle Image gallery edit nbsp Overall view of the castle nbsp Lower fortifications nbsp Wall and tower nbsp View from east nbsp A reconstructed view of the castle at its zenith during the sixteenth century nbsp Museum exposition in castleReferences edit Spis Castle wwww spisskyhrad sk Setton Kenneth M 1984 The Papacy and the Levant 1204 1571 the Sixteenth Century from Julius III to Pius V American Philosophical Society ISBN 9780871691613 OCLC 20475333 Retrieved 15 June 2023 Spissky Hrad and Levoca World Heritage Site Spisske muzeum Poslanie a historia muzea Spis Museum mission and history of the museum Slovak National Museum in Slovak Slovak National Museum n d Retrieved 2 November 2020 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spissky hrad category Spis Castle Tourist information about Spis Castle and nearby Drevenik History of Spis Castle History and photos of Spis Castle in Polish Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Spis Castle amp oldid 1188581159, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
