Battlemented summit of the massive medieval round castle keep or donjon rising high above the walls of Spiš Castle, a formidable fortress in the Košice Region of eastern Slovakia built by Hungarian kings. It became the largest fortified complex in Central Europe, withstood a Tartar siege in 1241 and is now the centre of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Spiš Castle, Košice Region, eastern Slovakia: crenellated top of the massive cylindrical tower that dominates the skyline of this formidable fortress built in the early 1200s by the kings of Hungary. The tower, about 22 meters or 72 feet in diameter and with limestone rubble walls four meters (13 ft) thick, was constructed as a residential keep or donjon as the Hungarian monarchy rebuilt, enlarged and greatly strengthened the original fortifications on the top of a travertine limestone spur rising 200m (650 ft) above the surrounding countryside. The tower stands in a central position within the upper courtyard of the castle, which was the largest fortified complex in Central Europe. It was strongly defended by an outer palisade, ditches, soaring curtain walls, towers and bastions and it survived a siege by Tartar invaders in 1241. The castle was then involved in further armed conflicts as noble owners rebelled against the monarchy and fought each other for the right to own it. In the late 1600s, however, the castle’s last private owners moved to a more comfortable home and in 1780, the site was abandoned after a disastrous fire. It then suffered many decades of neglect. A restoration programme launched in 1969 led to the castle and its environs being granted UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1993. Extensive archaeological research has been carried out at the site and the fortress is now a popular visitor attraction.
Size: 4256px × 2832px
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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