Orava (castle)
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Orava Castle (Slovak: Oravský hrad, German: Arwaburg, Hungarian: Árva vára ) is the name of a castle situated on a high rock (520m), which was constructed in the 13th century, considered to be one of the most interesting castles in Slovakia. The first black-and-white famous film (1922) about Dracula (until recently thought to be made in Romania) shows this castle and its surroundings as the castle of Nosferatu.
The natural formation "Castle cliff" - limy spur 112 m high, modeled by the Orava River and its right tributary brook Racova, was inhabited in the Primeval Ages. The wooden rampart became during its history a strong walled castle of which the first written documents dates back to 1267. At that time only the ground floor was built of stone, the storeys were made of wood.
In 1370 the castle became the centre of the Orava County. A tetrahedral multi-storey towerntury was built here in the 14th century, probably on older foundations, as a donjon - the place of "last shelter" by defensive the castle. After 1474, King Matthew gave order to build a square and a residence-wing at the Middle Castle. The buildings were situated in front of the castle. In 1534 John of Dubovec obtained the castle and became county head. He started to rebuild the castle and to make new fortifications. He ordered to build a half-round tower at the Upper Castle that in 1539 was followed by two large round fortifications to inside storeys for cannons at the Middle Castle. Also the Middle platform was made for cannon firing. In the years 1539 - 1543 John from Dubovec built a five-storey palace on the free place between the tower and the stone wall of the Upper Castle. The Turkish peril was the reason for building new fortifications. The new gate with a ditch and drawbridge in the Lower Castle was completed in 1543. An "Tower of the Archives" was built towards the castle walls.
After the death of John from Dubovec, the heirs quarrelled over the heritage and the situation was so bad that the castle even became a store-house. It was paid by the mine owner František Thurzo. A lot of building activities took place at the castle afterwards. The wooden stairs at the Upper Castle were replaced by stone stairs. The same was done to the stairs between the Middle and the Upper Castle with the drawbridge. Also, a cellar was dug in the rocks of the castle court and a one-storey residence-wing was built at the Lower Castle near the west wall.
Juraj Thurzo also carried out some important repairs. One of the first was the building of a tunnel between both castle gates, above which was formed a large terrace. After this was all done he moved the living-wing and the building of the Chapel started partly using some old architecture. The inside furnishing of the Chapel was later on arranged in the spirit of the new owners of the Castle. One of the best-known remembrances is Renaissance grave tomb of Juraj Thurzo from the beginning of 17th century and the Baroque altar from 1751 - 1752.
After the death of Erzsébet Czobor, the widow of Juraj Thurzo, the castle became property of Thurzo's daughters, which entrusted its administration elected administrator. Because of changes in politics, society and economy the castle lost gradually its functions. Only some clerks stayed and the not inhabited and not used parts of the castle gradually declined. The greatest catastrophe affected the castle in 1800, when a gigantic fire destroyed all wooden parts of the castle. The objects of the Lower Castle could be saved after the fire thanks cover with shingle for a bigger damage. The objects of the Middle and Upper Castle were covered again until in 1861. For the sake of utilization the historical object organized Edmund Zichy, the administrator of the property (Kompossesorat) a company, which had the aim to erect a regional museum of Orava. The first exposition took place at the Thurzo Palace in 1868. The Orava Museum is one of the oldest in today Slovakia. The most attractive expositions are those of the Castle Chapel, the Knights' Room, and also the rooms with style furnishing, the Painting Gallery, the Weapon room, but also the natural scientific, ethnographic and archeology collections. At the last turn of 19th and 20th century the castle started to be severely ramshackled. Joseph Pálffy organized major repairs. Walls were fortified with iron bars in the space of the third gate and terrace of the tunnel, as in Middle Castle was done the same. Pálffy's arrangement hit also interiors of objects. Some rooms received wooden tiles and style furnishing. In the Knights' Room Joseph Pálffy had wall paintings restored and completed by the German painter Maximilian Mann from Munich. After the second World War the Orava Castle was generously renovated. The Orava Castle was declared a national cultural monument in 1953.
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