Main tower
On the summit.
Jacomoman78 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jan Starec — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Akul59 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vladimír Ruček — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lukáš Perný — CC BY-SA 3.0
Čachtice Castle is a castle ruin on a hill near the village of Čachtice in western Slovakia, about 28 km southwest of Trenčín and 80 km northeast of Bratislava in a straight line. The hill has rare plants and has been declared a national nature reserve. The castle was built in the mid-13th century as a sentry post on the road to Moravia, in the era when many forts were built in the Kingdom of Hungary after the Mongol invasion. It began as a Romanesque castle with a horseshoe-shaped residential tower, became a Gothic castle, was enlarged in the 15th and 16th centuries and renovated in Renaissance style in the 17th. It is known as the residence of Countess Elizabeth Báthory. It burned down in 1799 and was left to decay. The grey stone walls and main tower stand on a rocky hilltop covered in grass and shrubs, and from the ramparts a wide view opens over fields, vineyards and the green hills of the Váh valley. Visitors walk up from the village or a nearby car park on a short path, wander among the partly restored walls and towers and enjoy the view. The hill is exposed to sun and wind, so wear suitable shoes.
On the summit.
Valley views.
On the hill.
Čachtice, Trenčín Region, Slovakia
About an hour and a half.
A short, steep path.