Location: 20 km (12 mi) Southwest of Trechin, Trenčín Region Map
Open: May- Oct 9am-6pm Tue-Sun
Tel. +421 (0)32/777 71 25
Constructed: 13th century
Beckov Castle is a medieval citadel located on a 50 meter high rock overlooking Vah River 20 km (12 mi) Southwest of Trechin in Trenčín Region in Slovakia. Beckov Castle was constructed in 13th century to protect the borders of the Kingdom of Hungary. By the end of 17th century the castle was largely abandoned due to changing military tactics. It was briefly turned into a prison and army barracks. In 1727 devastating fire that swept through its structure forced remaining residents to abandon it for a safer location. Today Beckov Castle is designated as National Cultural Monument.
The castle is mentioned as an old chronicle of
Anonymous from the 12th century . This was confirmed by
archaeological research, according to which the oldest settlement of
the castle comes from the turn of the era.
The limestones took over the Váh ford at the border of the Trenčín
and Nitra counties of considerable strategic importance and
therefore they built a stone castle here in the 13th century . It
consisted of a four-tower tower with a protective wall, to which the
two-storey palace was attached. At the time of the boom of Matúš Čák
Trenčianský , Beckov belonged to his domain. In the second half of
the 14th century the castle was owned by the Stiborians, originally
from Poland , who at that time represented one of the most powerful
families of Hungary . During their reign, the castle, which made
them the center of their vast possessions, survived its greatest
boom.
At the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries they proceeded to its
splendid reconstruction, during which they increased the castle
towers and built an upper Gothic palace with a knight's hall and a
chapel. In the middle of the 16th century the castle was fortified
due to Turkish danger. Then they built a cannon tower in the lower
courtyard and raised the perimeter walls of the castle. At that time
the castle was already owned by the Bánffy family. After their
extinction in 1646 , the castle and the estate were divided by their
successors. However, they no longer cared for its maintenance and
repair and the castle began to deteriorate slowly. The fire that
broke out in the castle in 1727 destroyed most of the buildings and
has since been abandoned.
The history of the castle is documented by the Beckov Museum .
Exterior
The ruins of the upper and lower castle are the remains of palaces,
economic and defense buildings and fortifications. Remarkable is the
open unfinished large cannon bastion in the lower courtyard.
Typically strange is the upper, regularly delimited courtyard,
accessible once underpass, surrounded by the remains of palace
structures and the former entrance facade of the chapel.
Access
In the village Beckov right from the square goes right next to
family houses road (the original entrance to the castle; 5 min.).
The castle is open to the public. You can choose a guide or a
description of the castle with a plan. In addition, some events are
held in the castle.
Opening hours for the public: from the beginning of May to the end
of September every day except Monday from 9.00 to 18.00.
In 2010 NKP Castle Beckov was reconstructed.
Surroundings
In addition to the beautiful views of the castle, do not miss the
view of the castle from behind - the necessary climb to the gentle
hill, which is actually a continuation of the castle hill. If you
are an athlete, the area offers a lot of sports. In the vicinity of
Beckov is a swimming pool Zelená voda , many routes for mountain
bikes, the possibility of climbing on the castle rock (difficulty II
to IX.). Also interesting is the limestone rock - Skalka near Beckov
( natural monument ).
Jewish cemetery
Along the access road to the castle is a Jewish cemetery with over
100 tombstones. The oldest tombstones come from the years 1739 -
1749. The first Jews came to Beckov at the end of the 17th century
from Uherský Brod . In 1734 they acquired the land on which the
cemetery is today from Count John Esterházi. The castle road divides
the cemetery into two parts: the newer one, located directly at the
entrance to the castle west of the access road and the older one,
which is east of the road. Most tombstones date back to the mid-19th
century. Inscriptions in Hebrew outweigh those in German. The
cemetery has been listed in the list of Slovak cultural monuments
since 1991.