Spiš Castle

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Spiš Castle

The ruins of Spiš Castle (Slovak: Spišský hrad) in Eastern Slovakia form one of the largest castle sites in Central Europe. The castle is situated above the village of Žehra in the region known as Spiš, in Levoča okres. 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).

[edit] History

Spiš Castle was built in the 12th century on the site of an earlier Slavic castle. It was the political, administrative, economic and cultural centre of Spiš county. Before 1464, it was owned by the Hungarian kings, afterwards (until 1528) by the Zápolya (Zápoľský) family, the Thurzo family (1531-1635), the Csáky family (1638-1945), аnd (since 1945) by the State.

Originally a Romanesque stone castle with fortifications, a two-story Romanesque palace and a three nave Romanesque-Gothic basilica were constructed in the area 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 Zápolyas 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. In 1780, the castle burned down and has been in ruins since. 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.

[edit] Present day

The castle is frequently used as a location for films, including Dragonheart (1996), Phoenix, Kull the Conqueror, The Lion in Winter, The Last Legion.