She stands there proud and fearless. Trenčiansky hrad, pride of the town of Trenčín. A dominant feature of the town of Trenčín and the entire Považie region is the one on the steep rock. Together with Spišský hrad Castle and Devín Castle, it is considered one of the largest in Europe.
You can see them from afar, from all directions throughout the Považie region, a little-known corner of the Republic of Slovakia. Trenčiansky Hrad has been attracting the attention of all travelers like a magnet for centuries. Tens of thousands make a pilgrimage here to learn about the history of the historic guardian of trade routes and to delve into the secrets of the seat of the Lords of Váh and Tatra.
Over the Váh River
At the top, tree displays, wild falcons, traces from centuries await. In the Great Moravia period, the castle site stood on the site of today's castle as the administrative center of the adjacent region. The current castle was built in the 11th century as a border fortress that was intended to monitor the most important fords of the Váh River and important Carpathian passes.
At that time, trade routes led through the area of northern Hungary and central Slovak mountain towns with Bohemia, Moravia and all the way to Silesia and Poland. The castle on the steep rock secured the king's trade and customs revenue, and a city gradually developed under its protection.
The mighty fortification is the result of the gradual improvement of the important border fortress and the later county seat of Trenčín. The castle played an important role in the history of the Kingdom of Hungary, especially during the Turkish invasions.
Control the land
Matthäus Csák came into possession of the castle in 1302 and from here he effectively controlled the entire western and central Slovakia until his death in 1321. After his death the castle became royal property again. His father Peter Csák had the 39 m high central tower rebuilt between 1260 and 1270.
On August 24, 1335, the Trenčín Treaty was concluded at Trenčín Castle. The contracting parties were the Bohemian King John of Luxembourg and his son Charles IV and the Polish King Casimir the Great. Casimir's brother-in-law, the Hungarian King Charles of Anjou, acted as a mediator in the treaty negotiations. With the treaty, Casimir the Great gave up all of Poland's claims to the Piast-dominated Silesian duchies.
In return, John of Luxembourg and his son Charles renounced the Polish royal title, which they had inherited from the Přemyslids. In the following centuries it became the seat of the border county, a royal and aristocratic district. The most famous monarch and castle owner was Matúš Čák Trenčiansky, who converted the castle into the center of his settlements with his own court. Trenčiansky Castle towered above even the royal court with its wealth and splendor.
Against the turkish invaders
Trenčín and its castle also played an important role during the Turkish invasions. The most famous owner was Matúš Čák Trenčiansky, who owned several Slovak castles and was therefore also called “ruler of Váh and Tatra”. As the owners changed, the castle's defensive and residential functions also multiplied. In addition to the robust St. Matthew's Tower, other objects were added - the Mill and Jeremiah Towers, the Ludwig, Barbara and Zapolya Palaces.
All of this can still be admired today. The castle fell into disrepair after a fire in 1790 and the owners at the time moved to the more comfortable Dubnica Castle. But later an extensive reconstruction took place: the current area, part of the Trenčín Museum exhibition, consists of a complex of palaces and the striking St. Matthew's Tower. Visitors are also sure to see the Cannon Bastion and the Hunger Tower. Various exhibitions, concerts, medieval games and attractive night tours take place in the castle area throughout the year.
Fountain of love
The most famous are probably the 80 meter deep fountain of love and the story of Omar and Fatima associated with it. According to legend, the castle lord Stefan Zapolya captured the beautiful Turkish princess Fatima. But the Turkish prince Omar loved Fatima and decided to free her beloved at any cost. To do this, he was supposed to dig a deep well into the castle rock, right through the rock.
The amorous and persistent Omar did as ordered - with 300 companions he supposedly took three years. And all his helpers died. The so-called fountain of love made the castle independent and invincible to enemies. Omar triumphed in the end: with the words “Zapolya, you have the water, but not the heart!” he took the beautiful Fatima home.
As she was leaving, the freed princess's veil got caught on the bushes at the bend in the path to the castle. The inn that was built on this site in the 18th century was therefore initially called “Schleyer”. Today it is called “Fatima”
High on a rock
Trenčin Castle is the third largest castle after Spis Castle and Devín Castle in Slovakia. The Hungarian royal castle that is visible today was built in the 11th century on a rock high above the Váh valley that slopes steeply on three sides, starting from a Romanesque residential tower. By the 14th century at the latest, the walls of the castle took up the entire rocky plateau.
At the end of the 15th century, the elaborate southern fortification was built, which seals off the castle rock from the mountain in a huge semicircular arch with several ditches and walls. Efforts to re-roof the residential buildings and prepare them as a museum led to considerable reconstruction work from 1956 onwards, which, however, was based very closely on historical images. In this way the castle was saved from further decay. However, the balcony-like end of the tower, which was probably intended to conceal the strongly tapering top floor, does not correspond to the historical model.
Thank you for reading and if you like my work please follow me on Hive, Travelfeed or Steem or visit my homepage koenau.de