Moulded to the rocks: the lower levels of the 13th century walls of Spiš Castle or Spišský hrad, a formidable fortress founded by Hungarian kings on a 200m-high spur now in eastern Slovakia, undulate with the contours of their solid foundations - but their ruined tops are now capped with new stone as part of a thorough restoration programme.
Spiš Castle, Spišské Podhradie, Košice Region, eastern Slovakia: the rough-hewn 13th century rubble walls of this formidable fortress seem to grow up out of the travertine limestone spur on which it stands some 200 meters (650 ft) above the surrounding countryside. The curving curtain walls are closely contoured to their rugged foundations, but their tops are now capped with new stone following a thorough restoration programme that began in 1969. The repairs followed centuries of neglect and stone-robbing after the castle’s last private owners decided in the late-1600s to move to a more comfortable home. In 1780, the fortress was ravaged by a disastrous fire. Spiš Castle or Spišský hrad was built in the 13th century by the Hungarian kings on the site of an earlier fortification. It was strongly defended, with an outer palisade, ditches, towers and bastions and it survived a siege in 1241 by Tartar invaders. It was also the focal point of other armed conflicts as noble owners rebelled against the monarchy and fought each other for the right to own the castle. The stronghold, Central Europe’s largest fortified complex, was built of the same limestone on which it stands. The upper courtyard encloses a two-storey Romanesque palace and a circular keep or donjon tower about 22m (72 ft) in diameter. The restoration programme 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. Despite the loss of so much stone, the remains still illustrate changes in castle development through the Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque eras.
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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