Oravský hrad (Orava Castle) above the Orava River in Oravský Podzámok, Slovakia

Oravský hrad (Orava Castle)

Built from the rock high above the little village of Oravský Podzámok sits Oravský hrad or Orava Castle. The castle dates back to the 13th century during the Kingdom of Hungary as do many of the castles in Slovakia, except Spis Castle which dates back to the Celts in 500 BC.

Now, perhaps Orava Castle is just as old, but we don't know. I can attest it is one of the most beautiful in Slovakia and has the most rooms, towers, and individual castle gates of any I've seen in the country. One of my students insists Oravský hrad  is the largest in Slovakia but after seeing it, even though it is truly magnificent, I still think, at least by area mass, Spis is larger.

Orava Castle view from the town road 

The trip there…

Before I get too involved in the castle and the lovely village of Oravský Podzámok, I want to talk about the trip there.  It took about 4 hours from Piešťany by two trains.  The first is the cross country train I've taken many times traveling from west to east. But this time, I changed in Kraľovany (about 2 1/2 hours from Piešťany) to a small village train that takes the mountain route along the Orava River.  

The river is quite green in color with overhanging tree branches drenched in green moss or silt.  I'm not sure if this is because of the thermal waters of the area or for some other reason. I know the Vah River that runs through Piešťany also has a slight greenish color.  There is a large lake or reservoir we past with what looked like marshmallows floating on top, but on closer examination, I discovered there were throngs of wine swans or geese dotting the water.  The river is surrounded by a forest of trees, some still green but others so dense and bare they had a purple hue to them.  I wish I had been traveling by car so I could have stopped to take some photos, but my photos really don't do justice to the scenery.

Oravský Podzámok

I was really hoping for some snow but actually the weather was very nice and there were only a few patches of snow on the ground. The village is a juxtaposition of modern walkways and houses and baroque architecture. Most everything was closed but since I had to wait an hour before the tour began, I decided to get some lunch. As with Slovakia, everything is hidden, but I did find a pizza place open.  I chose a small table in the back next to the life-size poster of Jim Morrison (shirtless of course), with two cloth pictures of coffee on either side.

The towers are 112 meters above the Orava River and dominate the village. The pic doesn't really allow for the majesty of what it looks like as you are standing below and looking up.

A view of the Orava River from below the castle's first gate.

The tour is only in Slovak and you can't walk around the castle yourself, you have to stay with the tour.  The castle is laid out with about 5 tiers of towers, gates including a museum and St. Michael's chapel.  Each area has several rooms filled with centuries old artifacts, painting, and mosaics, which is probably why you can't roam freely throughout the castle. We weren't allowed to take pictures in some of the rooms but I've provided a few pics below so you can see the various ornate artwork. Probably the most notable thing, besides the sheer beauty of the castle is that many scenes of the 1922 film Nosferatu.

The first castle gate has one of the few drawbridges in any castle in Slovakia. The pic of the door below is locked and you can't even leave the castle if you want to without being with a guide.  The security is quite tight.

Once you are inside, the different levels of towers and buildings are quite overwhelming. Much of the castle was burned in the 1800s but up until that time, there was nothing that could penetrate the castle or its inhabitants. 

The castle was opened to the public after restorations in 1968 when the museum was finished.

The Corvinius Palace

The Corvinius Palace was built by the Hungarian King, Matias Corninius in the late 15th century and restored by the Earl Palffy from its original Gothic style to Romantic.

The residential tower

What castle would be complete without a coat of arms.

The top of the castle and final tower is the Palace of Ján of Dubovec (circled in red) built in the first half of the 16th century for noble palace residents.

At the very top and carved into the mountain is the Citadel - archaeological exposition (red circle). The Citadel is one of the oldest parts of the castle and originates by to the Thurzo family who took charge of the castle in the 16th century and then after it was burnt in the 1800s the Palffy family completed much of the restoration.  After WWII the castle became a national monument.