The Pustý hrad Castle (also known as the Old Castle of Zvolen) is situated near Zvolen on the slope of a forested mountain in the Javorie mountain range, above the confluence of the Hron and Slatina rivers, in central Slovakia. It is surprisingly large, comparable with the more famous Spiš Castle.
It occupies an area of almost 8 hectares and ranks among the biggest castle ruins, not only in Slovakia, but also in Europe. In the southernmost part of the fortifications, a monumental passage gate tower was built, and its remnants became the symbol of the entire object.
As the distant ruins could not be seen from the town of Zvolen, the part of the hill on which they are situated was deforested. The ruins of the fortifications are now visible from the access road to Zvolen as well.
The royal castle, which later served as the seat of the royal County (comitatus) of Zvolen, was built in the 12th century. It occupied a territory of what is now central Slovakia. The fighting between the followers of Jan Hunyadi and those of Jan Jiskra considerably damaged the castle in the 15th century and after a short revival at the end of the 16th century, it definitely fell in decay.
The ongoing extensive archaeological research that has been systematically performed on the Pustý hrad Castle since 1922 has been very successful. Traces of much older fortified settlement with stone walls from the Early Bronze Age have been found on the castle hill.
The Pustý hrad Castle with the area of the current archaeological research is open to the public and is accessible via the Pustý hrad instructive path.
The Zvolen Castle, which is located on the bank of the Slatina River, is the most distinctive feature and symbol of the Central Slovakian town of Zvolen. An armoured train that reminds the Slovak National Uprising is placed nearby the castle.
Východne od Zvolena na strednom Slovensku nad obcou Vígľaš stojí rovnomenný zámok. Počiatky slovanského hradiska siahajú do stredoveku, kde vznikol kláštorný objekt spravovaný templárskym rádom.
The ruins of the medieval Šášov Castle stand above the river Hron not far away from Žiar nad Hronom in central Slovakia. According to a legend, the lord of the Zvolen Castle had it built for his court joker who saved his life while hunting.
The town castle was once formed by several ancient buildings in the central Slovakian metropolis Banská Bystrica. Its task was to protect the income proceedings of copper and silver mining for the royal treasury.
On the hill above Banská Štiavnica, Nový zámok (New Chateau) stands since 1571 bearing the name of the hill Frauenberg or Dievčenský or Panenský hrad in Slovak (Maiden Castle or Virgin Castle).
The dominant monument of the town centre of Banská Štiavnica that has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List is Starý zámok (Old Chateau) standing on the terrace west of the Trojičné námestie square.
In the heart of the mountains Štiavnicke vrchy in central Slovakian village Svätý Anton (known as Antol before 1996) stands a monumental Baroque-Classicist manor house with a wonderful English park.
he Town Castle in Kremnica is part of the NBS - Museum of Coins and Medals. The castle hill is one of the locations with the earliest settlement within the town. The town castle comprises a compound of medieval buildings from the 14th through 15th centuries, protected with double fortifications to which town walls are connected. The town walls rank among the best-preserved town fortifications in Slovakia.
Sitno, the tallest mountain of the Štiavnické vrchy Mts., (1,009 m), dominates the south-western horizon of Banská Štiavnica and offers a fabulous view. Three faces of the mountain are steep, almost inaccessible, and on the fourth side the Castle of Sitno, or better said its ruins, stand. It was built in the 13th century on the site of a primeval fortified castle. It is in ruins since the 18th century.
