Castle and manor house in Liptovský Hrádok

Liptovský Hrádok is the only ruin of a water castle in Slovakia. It stands on a small limestone rock by the Bela River in the northern part of the town of the same name. The Gothic stone castle was built after 1314 by Donč, a county governor of Svolenec. The rock was surrounded by a moat and the castle guarded an important crossroads of trade routes - the Spišská cesta and the famous Amber Road. The first written mention of the castle dates back to 1341. The history of the castle is full of changes of owners. In 1433 it was occupied by the Hussites, later by the Jiskrovs. In 1600 the castle was acquired by Magdalena Zaiová, who rebuilt it and completed a Renaissance manor house with two wings. After her death, Mikuláš Šándorfi's widow continued to take over the castle. The castle was so secure that the royal crown of St. Stephen was hidden here during the Anti-Abysburg Uprisings. It served as an important foothold for the imperial army, but after the battle with the rebels in 1709 it was heavily damaged. In 1721 the castle was acquired by the Lichtenstein family. They built a mill, a brewery, a salt warehouse and a water-powered sawmill here, thus contributing to the development of the entire surrounding area. The last private owner, Emanuel Lichtenstein, sold the castle to the Royal Chamber. Today, the reconstructed monument is privately owned and represents a unique example of a water fortification in our territory.