Spiš Castle, a mighty medieval fortress built by the Hungarian kings, stands on a 200m-high limestone spur in the Košice Region of eastern Slovakia above ‘Sacred’, a 2008 geoglyph or land art installation by Australian sculptor Andrew Rogers inspired by a horse depicted on an ancient Celtic coin found within the castle ruins.
Spiš Castle, Spišské Podhradie, Košice Region, eastern Slovakia: the formidable stronghold of Spiš Castle or Spišský hrad, founded in the early 13th century by Hungarian kings, is built of the same rock on which it stands, a 200m-high spur of travertine limestone. In this view from the north, the crenellated top of one early structure, a circular donjon tower or keep some 22m (72 ft) across, rises above the ruined tops of ancient walls pierced by empty window openings. Spiš Castle successfully repelled a Tartar siege in 1241 and was then the focus for many other armed conflicts as noble owners rebelled against the monarchy and fought each other for the right to own it. Spiš grew to become Central Europe’s largest fortified complex, but in the late 1600s, its last private owners, the Csáky family, moved to a more comfortable home and in 1780, the site was abandoned after a disastrous fire. A thorough restoration programme, launched in 1969, led to the castle and its environs being granted UNESCO World Heritage Site status. Extensive archaeological research has been carried out at the site and the fortress is now a popular visitor attraction. Despite being robbed of stone over several decades, the remains still illustrate the stages in castle development through the Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque eras. On the slopes below the castle (lower right in this image) lies ‘Sacred’, a geoglyph or land art installation by world-renowned Australian sculptor, Andrew Rogers (born 1947). The artwork, 100m (328 ft) square and made of loosely-laid travertine boulders, is visible from far away and from the castle walls above. Sacred was built in two weeks in 2008 by 140 workers and consumed 3,000 tonnes of travertine. Its design, of a stylised Celtic horse, was inspired by a Celtic coin found at the castle.
Size: 4288px × 2848px
Location: Spiš Castle or Spišský hrad, Košice Region, Slovakia.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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