Blatnica Castle on a steep hill behind the village of Blatnica
was built in the second half of the 13th century, the first report
about it comes from the year 1300, when its owners were Peter from
Brezovica. The original function of the castle was to protect the
road called magna via, leading from Nitra to the north. When a more
convenient road from Nitra via Mošovce to Martin and beyond began to
be used, the old road lost its original meaning and the importance
of the castle declined. The rulers were not more interested in him.
Today, Blatnické Castle is a ruin, the restoration of which is
being taken care of by OZ Diadém - the association for saving
Blatnica Castle. A pleasant road leads to it through the Gaderská
valley and there are beautiful views from it.
It is less than
15 km from the Woodpark cottages to the entrance gate to Gaderská
dolina, where you can park. Parking in Gaderská dolina is charged.
Be careful and don't park outside the marked parking spots. There is
also access to various challenging hiking trails. This tip will tell
you how to get to Blatnica Castle.
After the gate, you will
walk along the asphalt road for about 30 minutes, on the left you
will see a marked left turn onto the forest road, where you will
reach the castle in about 20 minutes with a slight climb. The road
is marked with a yellow castle.
If you want to enjoy the
journey through the Gaderská valley along the stream a little longer
or if you have come with a stroller (ideally a sports one), go all
the way to the mountain hut, turn left after it and you will reach
the same forest path that will lead you to the castle.
The
shortest way to Blatnický hrad leads through the meadow below the
castle (so its beginning is not in Gaderská dolina). By car, stop at
the road leading from Sebeslavice to the village of Blatnica and run
up the hill.
(Additional tip: if you want to enjoy the view
of the castle, after stopping the car between Sebeslavce and
Blatnica, go to the opposite side - towards the castle. There is a
swing on the hill, from where you can enjoy a really pleasant view
of the castle.)
Blatnice Castle on a steep hill behind the village of
the same name was built in the second half of the 13th century and
we have the first report about it from 1300, when it was owned by
Peter of Brezovice. It later became a royal property. The castle was
built to protect the road called magna via, which leads north from
Nitra. When the more comfortable road from Nitra via Mošovce to
Martin and further north began to be used, the old road under the
name antiqua via lost its original meaning and the importance of the
castle declined. Therefore, the rulers were not more interested in
him. It was often given as a deposit, so in the 15th and in the
first half of the 16th century the castle passed through the hands
of various owners (Pongrác of St. Nicholas, Peter Komorovský,
Necpalsk family, etc.), who often only managed and used it than
maintained it.
The castle was expanded by the Révai family,
who took possession of it in 1540. In the second half of the 16th
and at the beginning of the 17th century, they built a large
fortification with new buildings.
At the end of the 17th
century, the castle was seized by the rebels of Imrich Tököli and at
the beginning of the 18th century by the Kurucs of Francis II.
Rákociho. After the uprising subsided, the importance of Blatnice
Castle declined. In 1744 it was repaired, but in 1790 it was no
longer inhabited and since then it has been slowly abandoned.
A monastery is said to have stood on the site where Blatnický Castle stands today. Monk Odilo, who wanted to possess the beautiful noblewoman Elika, learned during confession that Elika loves Ilamer, a page of the Znieb castle lord. Odilo organized the murder of Ilamer and had Elika kidnapped. He announced everywhere that the two young lovers had gone abroad. The truth came out when Elika managed to escape from the dungeon. In the morning, she was found dead in the chapel with her newborn. The subsequent investigation proved Odil's guilt and the verdict was followed by a harsh punishment, for violating the confessional secret, Odil's mouth was closed with a lock and he was walled up alive in the walls of Blatnické Castle.
The castle consisted of a long,
relatively narrow palace, reinforced on the north and south sides by
semicircular towers and protected on the northeast side by a steep
abyss. The western tower, built in a more vulnerable place, is much
more powerful and larger than the eastern one. It was accessed by a
separate spiral staircase, built on its southern side. On the
southeast, more accessible side, was a small courtyard enclosed by
walls with a square tower. The wall of fortifications that
surrounded the first courtyard had an entrance to the west over a
moat cut into the rock. It was protected by an open round bastion.
The masonry of the western tower has been preserved, which still
rises to a great height even today, and slit loopholes can be seen
on it. The upper castle, sandwiched between two towers, is falling
apart considerably - especially its connecting palace part. On the
farm buildings in the lower castle, the demanding blocking is quite
well preserved. The masonry is slowly weathering into the valley,
especially above the steep slope. It is possible to ascend to both
areas along the bastions and there is a wonderful view from there.
However, the castle, like any ruin, is accessible only at your own
risk and therefore appropriate care must be taken.