Castles – Most Beautiful Ruins

As part of the new edition of Cultural Heritage of Slovakia, we prepare the title Castles – Most Beautiful Ruins. This selection is no accident. Many of Slovakia’s castles are symbols not only of the country’s individual regions, but also are among the most beautiful destinations for many tourist excursions and routes. Since the beginning of its existence in 1921, Krásy Slovenska has also devoted itself to depicting the varied stories of Slovakia’s castles. For this reason, we have selected these most beautiful ruins not just from the visual perspective but also for what they offer tourists. Since there really is no such publication focusing on castles, we have attempted to approach the selected castles in a different manner than has existed until now. The book seeks to be a bit of a tourist guide, and its goal is to provide the reader with a comprehensive picture of the castle prior to visiting. The presentation of each castle begins with a description of the routes to them accessible to tourists and continues with a brief history and description of its current state and points of interest to be found nearby. The texts are interwoven with the legends, tales and histories of the castles, their residents and the historic events surrounding them. Also included are period illustrations, old postcards, site plans, maps and of course contemporary photographs.
The select “only” the 33 most beautiful castle ruins for publication was no easy task. We are aware that this is a purely subjective affair, and that other readers or specialists may not completely identify with our selections. It was our aspiration to choose those ruins which are beautiful aesthetically and also connected to the most attractive tourist locations.