Tour of Trenčín Castle

The dominant feature of Trenčín and the entire Považie region is guarded by ancient trade routes connecting the Mediterranean region with the Baltic and northern Europe. Trenčín Castle is one of the largest castles in Europe. The historic Hotel Elizabeth is unique for its attractive location directly below the medieval castle, in the center of Trenčín.

From Hotel Elizabeth you can reach the castle in a leisurely 15-minute walk. On the site of today's castle, a hillfort stood during the Great Moravian period as the administrative center of the adjacent region. Today's castle was built in the 11th century as a border fortress, guarding important Váh fords and important Carpathian passes, through which trade routes passed, connecting the area of northern Hungary and central Slovak mining towns with Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia and Poland.

At the end of the 13th century, the castle came into the possession of Matúš Čák, who owned almost 50 castles and became the legendary lord of the Váh and the Tatras. From the highest Matúš Tower there is a beautiful view of a large part of Považie. The next owners of the castle gradually modified and rebuilt it according to their own ideas. King Louis of Anjou added a new palace - Louis' Palace, in which today you can see historical period furniture from the 17th - 19th centuries.

Sigismund of Luxembourg donated the castle to his wife Barbora of Celje and had Barbora's Palace built for her. At the end of the 15th century, Štefan Zápoľský acquired the castle together with the town and began extensive reconstruction. The Zápoľský Palace is the youngest palace of Trenčín Castle.

In the following centuries, it became the seat of the border county, royal and later noble county. Today, its ancient premises house exhibition spaces and several expositions of the Trenčín Museum.

Walking distance from the hotel: 15 min.