Spiš Castle: Difference between revisions

Spiš Castle
Spiš Castle
Spišský hrad
Spišská Nová Ves, Spiš in Slovakia
	Spiš Castle
	Spiš Castle
Coordinates	49°00′02″N 20°46′06″E / 49.00056°N 20.76833°E
Type	Castle
Area	41,426 sq. m.
Site information
Website	www.spisskyhrad.com/english/spis-castle/
Site history
Built	Twelfth century
Materials	Masonry

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The ruins of Spiš Castle (Slovak: Spišský hrad, pronunciation^ⓘ; Hungarian: Szepesi vár; Polish: Zamek Spiski; German: Zipser Burg) in eastern Slovakia belong to six largest castles sites in Slovakia.^[1] The castle is situated above the town of Spišské Podhradie and the village of Žehra, in the region known as Spiš (Hungarian: Szepes, German: Zips, Polish: Spisz, Latin: Scepusium). It was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1993 (together with the adjacent locations of Spišská Kapitula and Žehra). The size of the castle area is 3,9 ha (39,000 m²). It is administered by the Spiš Museum at Levoča, a division of the Slovak National Museum.

History

Origins

Construction of the medieval castle on a travertine hill dates back to the beginning of the 12th century. The oldest written reference to the castle is from 1120. At the beginning it was a boundary fort placed at the northern frontier of an early feudal Old Hungarian state. Afterwards, it became the seat of the head of the Spiš region for many centuries. ^[2] It was the political, administrative, economic and cultural center of Szepes County^[3] of the Kingdom of Hungary. Before 1464, it was owned by the kings of Hungary, until the time of King Matthias Corvinus, then (until 1528) by the Zápolya family, the Thurzó family (1531–1635), the Csáky family (1638–1945), and (since 1945) by the state of Czechoslovakia and then Slovakia.

Originally a Romanesque stone castle with fortifications, a two-story Romanesque palace and a three-nave Romanesque-Gothic basilica were constructed by the second half of the thirteenth century. A second extramural settlement was built in the fourteenth century, by which the castle area was doubled. The castle was completely rebuilt in the fifteenth century; the castle walls were heightened and a third extramural settlement was constructed. A late Gothic chapel was added around 1470. The Zápolya clan performed late Gothic transformations, which made the upper castle into a comfortable family residence, typical of late Renaissance residences of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Decline and reconstruction

The last owners of the Spiš Castle, the Csáky family, abandoned the castle in the early eighteenth century because they considered it too uncomfortable to live in. They moved to the newly built nearby village castles/palaces in Hodkovce near Žehra and Spišský Hrhov.

In 1780, the castle was destroyed in a fire.^[4] The cause of the blaze is unknown, but there are a few theories. One is that the Csáky family purposefully burned it down to reduce taxes as at the time additional taxes applied to roofed buildings. Another is that it was struck by lightning, which started the fire. A third is that some soldiers in the castle were making moonshine and in the process accidentally started the fire. Whatever the case, after the fire, the castle was no longer occupied and began to fall into disrepair.

The castle was partly reconstructed in the second half of the twentieth century, and extensive archaeological research was carried out on the site. The reconstructed sections house displays of the Spiš Museum, which is responsible for managing the castle,^[5] and artefacts such as torture devices formerly used in the castle.

Image gallery

Overall view of the castle
Lower fortifications
Wall and tower
View from east
A reconstructed view of the castle at its zenith during the sixteenth century
Museum exposition in castle

References

^ "Spiš Castle". wwww.spisskyhrad.sk.
^ https://slovakia.travel/en/spissky-hrad-castle#:~:text=Construction%20of%20the%20medieval%20castle,beginning%20of%20the%2012th%20century. ^{[bare URL]}
^ Setton, Kenneth M. (1984). The Papacy and the Levant (1204-1571): the Sixteenth Century from Julius III to Pius V. American Philosophical Society. ISBN 9780871691613. OCLC 20475333. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
^ "Spissky Hrad and Levoca". World Heritage Site.
^ "Spišské múzeum -Poslanie a história múzea (Spiš Museum - mission and history of the museum)". Slovak National Museum (in Slovak). Slovak National Museum. n.d. Retrieved 2 November 2020.

External links

[1] "Spiš Castle". wwww.spisskyhrad.sk.

[2] ttps://slovakia.travel/en/spissky-hrad-castle#:~:text=Construction%20of%20the%20medieval%20castle,beginning%20of%20the%2012th%20century. ^{[bare URL]}

[3] Setton, Kenneth M. (1984). The Papacy and the Levant (1204-1571): the Sixteenth Century from Julius III to Pius V. American Philosophical Society. ISBN 9780871691613. OCLC 20475333. Retrieved 15 June 2023.

[4] "Spissky Hrad and Levoca". World Heritage Site.

[5] "Spišské múzeum -Poslanie a história múzea (Spiš Museum - mission and history of the museum)". Slovak National Museum (in Slovak). Slovak National Museum. n.d. Retrieved 2 November 2020.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Large castle site in eastern Slovakia}}
-{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2012}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
+{{More citations needed|date=January 2021}}
 {{Infobox military installation
 | name            = Spiš Castle
 | ensign          =
 | ensign_size     =
 | native_name     = {{lang|sk|Spišský hrad}}
@@ Line 10: / Line 12: @@
 | caption         = Spiš Castle
 <!-- maps and coordinates -->
 | image_map             =
 | map_caption           = Location of Spiš Castle in Slovakia
 | pushpin_map           = Slovakia
 | pushpin_relief        =
 | pushpin_map_caption   =
 | coordinates           = {{coord|49|00|02|N|20|46|06|E|display=inline,title}}
 | coordinates_footnotes =
 <!-- location -->
 | partof           =
-| location         = [[Spišská Nová Ves District|Spišská Nová Ves]], [[Spiš Region|Spiš]]
+| location         = [[Spišská Nová Ves District|Spišská Nová Ves]], [[Spiš]]
 | nearest_town     =
-| country          =
+| country          = Slovakia
 <!-- stats -->
 | ownership        =
 | operator         =
 | open_to_public   =
-| site_area        =
+| site_area        = 41,426 sq. m.
-| built            = 12th century
+| built            = Twelfth century
 | used             =
 | builder          =
 | materials        = Masonry
 | height           =
 | length           =
 | fate             =
 | condition        =
 | battles          =
 | events           =
 | garrison         =
 | occupants        =
-| website          =
+| website          ={{URL|https://www.spisskyhrad.com/english/spis-castle/}}
 | footnotes        =
 }}
-The ruins of '''Spiš Castle''' ({{lang-sk| Spišský hrad}}, {{Audio|Sk-Spišský hrad.ogg|pronunciation}}; {{lang-pl|Spiski Zamek}}; {{lang-hu|Szepesi vár}}; {{lang-de|Zipser Burg}}) in eastern [[Slovakia]] form one of the largest [[castle]] sites in Central Europe. The castle is situated above the town of [[Spišské Podhradie]] and the village of [[Žehra]], in the region known as [[Spiš]] ({{lang-hu|Szepes}}, {{lang-de|link=no|Zips}}, {{lang-pl|Spisz}}, {{lang-la|Scepusium}}). It was included in the [[UNESCO]] list of [[World Heritage Sites]] in 1993 (together with the adjacent locations of [[Spišská Kapitula]], Spišské Podhradie and Žehra). This is one of the biggest European castles by area (41,426 m²).
+The ruins of '''Spiš Castle''' ({{lang-sk| Spišský hrad}}, {{Audio|Sk-Spišský hrad.ogg|pronunciation}}; {{lang-hu|Szepesi vár}}; {{lang-pl|Zamek Spiski}};  {{lang-de|Zipser Burg}}) in eastern [[Slovakia]] belong to six largest [[castle]]s sites in Slovakia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Spiš Castle |url=http://www.spisskyhrad.sk/en.html|website=wwww.spisskyhrad.sk}}</ref> The castle is situated above the town of [[Spišské Podhradie]] and the village of [[Žehra]], in the region known as [[Spiš]] ({{lang-hu|Szepes}}, {{lang-de|link=no|Zips}}, {{lang-pl|Spisz}}, {{lang-la|Scepusium}}).  It was included in the [[UNESCO]] list of [[World Heritage Sites]] in 1993 (together with the adjacent locations of [[Spišská Kapitula]] and [[Žehra]]). The size of the castle area is 3,9 ha (39,000 m<sup>2</sup>).  It is administered by the [[Spiš Museum]] at [[Levoča]], a division of the [[Slovak National Museum]].
-== History ==
+==History==
-[[Image:Szepescivertanlegi4.jpg|thumb|left|Aerial photograph of the castle]]
+[[File:Szepescivertanlegi4.jpg|thumb|left|Aerial photograph of the castle]]
-[[File:Spiš Castle 4.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Spiš castle - the central part.]]
+[[File:Spiš Castle 4.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Spiš castle - the central part]]
-Spiš Castle was built in the 12th century on the site of an earlier castle. It was the political, administrative, economic and cultural center of [[Szepes County]]<ref>Kenneth Meyer Setton, The Papacy and the Levant, 1204–1571, American Philosophical Society, 1984, p. 315 [https://books.google.com/books?id=EgQNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA315]</ref> of the [[Kingdom of Hungary]]. Before 1464, it was owned by the [[List of rulers of Hungary|kings of Hungary]], afterward (until 1528) by the [[John Zápolya|Zápolya]] family, the [[Thurzó]] family (1531–1635), the [[Imre Csáky (cardinal)|Csáky]] family (1638–1945), and (since 1945) by the state of [[Czechoslovakia]] then [[Slovakia]].
+===Origins===
-Originally a [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] stone castle with fortifications, a two-story Romanesque palace and a three-nave Romanesque-[[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] basilica were constructed by the second half of the 13th century. A second extramural settlement was built in the 14th century, by which the castle area was doubled. The castle was completely rebuilt in the 15th century; the castle walls were heightened and a third extramural settlement was constructed. A late Gothic chapel was added around 1470. The [[John Zápolya|Zápolya]] clan performed late Gothic transformations, which made the upper castle into a comfortable family residence, typical of late Renaissance residences of the 16th and 17th centuries.
+[[File:Andrea Mantegna - King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary.jpg|thumb|180px|[[Matthias Corvinus]], the last<Br>royal owner]]
-The last owners of the Spiš Castle, the Csáky family, abandoned the castle in the early 18th century because they considered it too uncomfortable to live in. They moved to the newly built nearby village castles/palaces in Hodkovce near [[Žehra]] and [[Spišský Hrhov]].
+Construction of the medieval castle on a travertine hill dates back to the beginning of the 12th century. The oldest written reference to the castle is from 1120. At the beginning it was a boundary fort placed at the northern frontier of an early feudal Old Hungarian state. Afterwards, it became the seat of the head of the Spiš region for many centuries.  <ref>https://slovakia.travel/en/spissky-hrad-castle#:~:text=Construction%20of%20the%20medieval%20castle,beginning%20of%20the%2012th%20century. {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref>
-[[File:Spis castle reconstruction.png|thumb|A view of the castle at its zenith during the 16th century]]
+It was the political, administrative, economic and cultural center of [[Szepes County]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Setton |first1=Kenneth M. |title=The Papacy and the Levant (1204-1571): the Sixteenth Century from Julius III to Pius V |date=1984 |publisher=American Philosophical Society |isbn=9780871691613 |oclc=20475333|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EgQNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA315|accessdate=15 June 2023}}</ref> of the [[Kingdom of Hungary]].  Before 1464, it was owned by the [[List of rulers of Hungary|kings of Hungary]], until the time of [[Matthias Corvinus|King Matthias Corvinus]], then (until 1528) by the [[John Zápolya|Zápolya]] family, the [[Thurzó]] family (1531–1635), the [[Imre Csáky (cardinal)|Csáky]] family (1638–1945), and (since 1945) by the state of [[Czechoslovakia]] and then [[Slovakia]].
+Originally a [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] stone castle with fortifications, a two-story Romanesque palace and a three-nave Romanesque-[[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] basilica were constructed by the second half of the thirteenth century.  A second extramural settlement was built in the fourteenth century, by which the castle area was doubled.  The castle was completely rebuilt in the fifteenth century; the castle walls were heightened and a third extramural settlement was constructed.  A late Gothic chapel was added around 1470.  The [[John Zápolya|Zápolya]] clan performed late Gothic transformations, which made the upper castle into a comfortable family residence, typical of late Renaissance residences of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
 ===Decline and reconstruction===
+The last owners of the Spiš Castle, the Csáky family, abandoned the castle in the early eighteenth century because they considered it too uncomfortable to live in. They moved to the newly built nearby village castles/palaces in Hodkovce near [[Žehra]] and [[Spišský Hrhov]].
-In 1780, the castle was destroyed in a fire. The cause of the blaze is unknown, but there are a few theories. One is that the Csáky family purposely burned it down to reduce taxes as at the time additional taxes applied to roofed buildings. Another is that it was struck by lightning, which started the fire. A third is that some soldiers in the castle were making moonshine and in the process accidentally started the fire. Whatever the case, after the fire, the castle was no longer occupied and began to fall into disrepair.<ref>{{in lang|sk}} [http://www.slovakcooking.com/2012/blog/spis-castle-pieni]</ref>
+In 1780, the castle was destroyed in a fire.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Spissky Hrad and Levoca|url=https://www.worldheritagesite.org/list/Spissky+Hrad+and+Levoca|website=World Heritage Site}}</ref> The cause of the blaze is unknown, but there are a few theories. One is that the Csáky family purposefully burned it down to reduce taxes as at the time additional taxes applied to roofed buildings. Another is that it was struck by lightning, which started the fire. A third is that some soldiers in the castle were making moonshine and in the process accidentally started the fire. Whatever the case, after the fire, the castle was no longer occupied and began to fall into disrepair.
-The castle was partly reconstructed in the second half of the 20th century, and extensive archaeological research was carried out on the site. The reconstructed sections house displays of the Spiš Museum, and artifacts such as torture devices formerly used in the castle.
+The castle was partly reconstructed in the second half of the twentieth century, and extensive archaeological research was carried out on the site. The reconstructed sections house displays of the [[Spiš Museum]], which is responsible for managing the castle,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.snm.sk/?spisske-muzeum-o-muzeu |title=Spišské múzeum -Poslanie a história múzea (Spiš Museum - mission and history of the museum) |author=<!--Not stated--> |language=sk|date=n.d.  |website=[[Slovak National Museum]] |publisher=Slovak National Museum |access-date=2 November 2020 |quote=}}</ref> and artefacts such as torture devices formerly used in the castle.
 ==Image gallery==
 <gallery>
-File: Spis Castle - Slovakia.jpg|Overall view of the castle
+File:Spis Castle - Slovakia.jpg|Overall view of the castle
-File: Spis Castle courtyard 01.JPG|Lower fortifications
+File:Spis Castle courtyard 01.JPG|Lower fortifications
-File: Spis castle wall and tower.JPG|Wall, and tower
+File:Spis castle wall and tower.JPG|Wall and tower
-File: Spisska nova ves...castle.jpg|View from east
+File:Spisska nova ves...castle.jpg|View from east
+File:Spis castle reconstruction.png|A reconstructed view of the castle at its zenith during the sixteenth century
+File:Museum exposition in castle.jpg|Museum exposition in castle
 </gallery>
-== References ==
+==References==
 {{reflist}}
-== External links ==
+==External links==
-{{Commons|Spišský hrad}}
+{{Commons and category}}
-*[http://www.spisskyhrad.sk/en.html Tourist information about Spiš Castle and nearby Dreveník]
+* [https://www.spisskyhrad.com/english/spis-castle/ Spiš Castle]
-*[http://www.slovakheritage.org/Unesco/spiscastle.htm History of Spiš Castle]
+* [http://www.spisskyhrad.sk/en.html Tourist information about Spiš Castle and nearby Dreveník]
-*[http://sekulada.com/zamek-spiski/ History and photos of Spiš Castle] {{in lang|pl}}
+* [https://www.slovakheritage.org/Unesco/spiscastle.htm History of Spiš Castle]
+* [https://sekulada.com/zamek-spiski/ History and photos of Spiš Castle] {{in lang|pl}}
 {{World Heritage Sites in Slovakia}}
 {{Authority control}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Spis Castle}}
+[[Category:12th-century architecture in Slovakia]]
 [[Category:Castles in Slovakia]]
-[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Slovakia]]
+[[Category:Former enclaves]]
+[[Category:Former exclaves]]
+[[Category:Gothic architecture in Slovakia]]
 [[Category:History museums in Slovakia]]
-[[Category:Spiš]]
-[[Category:12th-century architecture in Slovakia]]
 [[Category:Romanesque architecture in Slovakia]]
-[[Category:Gothic architecture in Slovakia]]
+[[Category:Spiš]]
+[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Slovakia]]

v t e World Heritage Sites in Slovakia
Cultural	Historic Town of Banská Štiavnica and Technical Monuments in its Vicinity Levoča, Spiš Castle and associated cultural monuments Levoča Spiš Castle Spišská Kapitula Žehra Spišské Podhradie Vlkolínec Bardejov Town Monument Reserve Wooden Churches of the Slovak Carpathians Hervartov Tvrdošín Kežmarok Leštiny Hronsek Bodružal Ladomírová Ruská Bystrá
Natural	Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst¹ Domica Gombasecká Jasovská Krásnohorská Ochtinská Dobšinská Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe² Havešova Stužica Rožok Kyjovský prales
¹ with Hungary ² with Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine

Authority control databases
International	VIAF WorldCat
National	Germany United States Israel
Geographic	Structurae