Covering an area of 41,426 square meters, Spiš Castle is one of the largest castles in Europe
Spiš Castle was built in the 12th century on the site of an earlier castle.
The last owners of the Spiš Castle, the Csáky family, abandoned the castle in the early 18th century because they considered it too uncomfortable to live in. They moved to the newly built nearby village castles/palaces in Hodkovce near Žehra and Spišský Hrhov.
In 1780, the castle was destroyed in a fire. The cause of the blaze is unknown.
The castle was partly reconstructed in the second half of the 20th century, and extensive archaeological research was carried out on the site. The reconstructed sections house displays of the Spiš Museum, which is responsible for managing the castle, and artefacts such as torture devices formerly used in the castle.
The ruins of Spiš Castle in eastern Slovakia form one of the largest castle sites in Central Europe.
The castle has been added to the UNESCO World’s Cultural and Natural Heritage List in 1993.
The castle hill was settled already in 5000 BC.
The Spiš Castle consisting of the upper, middle and lower parts, occupied an impressive area of 4,15 ha.
The lower courtyard was open to the public in 1983.