- Type
- Castle
- Style
- Romanesque architecture
- Coordinates
- 48.8942°, 18.0447°
History
On the rock below the castle survives a Roman inscription of 179 AD recording legionaries wintering at Laugaricio during the Marcomannic Wars. The stronghold above the Váh guarded the north-western border of Hungary and appears in the sources in the 11th century. Around 1300 it was the seat of the magnate Matthew Csák, who ruled almost all of western Slovakia. In the 15th and 16th centuries the castle belonged to the Zápolya family, who enlarged its palaces and defences. In 1790 a great fire in the town also gutted the castle, which lay in ruins for over a century; its gradual restoration has been under way since the mid-20th century.
What to see
The way up leads through a series of gates and courtyards. Above it all rises Matthew's Tower, the oldest standing building of the castle, which grew out of an 11th-century residential tower and offers views over Trenčín and the Váh valley. The remains of an even older 9th-century rotunda have been uncovered in a courtyard. The restored palaces house exhibitions of the Trenčín Museum, including the portrait gallery of the Illésházy family and a collection of arms, and the famous Well of Love stands in a courtyard. The Roman inscription on the rock can be seen from the hotel at the foot of the castle.
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