Šariš Castle (
Slovak: ''Šarišský hrad'',
Hungarian: ''Sáros vára'') is a ruined
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
and
Renaissance era stone castle above the town of
Veľký Šariš in
Prešov District,
Prešov Region
The Prešov Region, also Priashiv Region ( sk, Prešovský kraj, ; hu, Eperjesi kerület; uk, Пряшівський край) is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions and consists of 13 districts (okresy) and 666 municipalities, 23 o ...
,
Slovakia. It is a
hilltop castle
A hilltop castle is a type of hill castle that was built on the summit of a hill or mountain. In the latter case it may be termed a mountaintop castle. The term is derived from the German, ''Gipfelburg'', which is one of a number of terms used ...
located on a cone-shaped hill with a wide plateau at its top, in an altitude of approximately 570 m (1870.07 ft) above sea level. The ruins lie 6-7 km northwest of
Prešov
Prešov (, hu, Eperjes, Rusyn language, Rusyn and Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Пряшів) is a city in Eastern Slovakia. It is the seat of administrative Prešov Region ( sk, Prešovský kraj) and Šariš, as well as the historic Sáros Cou ...
,
Slovakia, in the traditional region
Šariš. The castle is listed in the National Cultural Heritage list of the Monuments Board of the Slovak Republic.
History
The castle is one of the oldest and biggest castles in Slovakia. It was permanently settled from the
Neolithic to the 4th century AD, then from the 10th to the 12th century, and finally a new castle was built in the 13th century. The castle was destroyed by fire in 1678.
The former county and traditional region of Šariš both draw their name from the name of the castle, due to it having served as the original county seat for several centuries (as was common with many Hungarian castles serving this political function).
Gallery
File:Šarišsky_hrad3.png, Šariš Castle Hill as seen from the northwest (ca 2004)
File:Šarišsky_hrad2.png, The keep before the start of restoration works (ca 2004)
File:BuildingCastleWMPSaris13Slovakia15.JPG, One of the preserved gatehouses (September 2013)
File:Saris Castle 2.jpg, Perimeter walls and bastion under restoration (September 2012)
File:BuildingCastleWMPSaris13Slovakia6.JPG, Perimeter walls and bastions from the outside (September 2013)
File:BuildingCastleWMPSaris13Slovakia21.JPG, Ruins of a bastion (September 2013)
File:BuildingCastleWMPSaris13Slovakia27.JPG, Main courtyard and ruins of the central castle, the keep
A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...
visible on the hillock to the right
File:BuildingCastleWMPSaris13Slovakia34.JPG, Interiors of a bastion ground floor after restoration (September 2013)
File:BuildingCastleWMPSaris13Slovakia35.JPG, Tower (foreground, right) and major artillery bastion (background, left)
File:BuildingCastleWMPSaris13Slovakia53.JPG, Ruins of the central castle, the keep visible on the hillock to the left
See also
*
List of castles in Slovakia
This is a list of castles in Slovakia. This list includes palaces, citadels and manor houses.
These Slovak words translate as follows:
#''hrad'', ''hrádok'' - castle
#''zámok'' - correctly: château, commonly translated as castle
#''pevnosť' ...
References
External links
Official website of the civic association Rákociho cesta(in Slovak) - Civic historical association currently in charge of restoration works on the castle.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saris Castle
Castles in Slovakia
Ruined castles in Slovakia
Buildings and structures in Prešov Region
Tourist attractions in Prešov Region
13th-century architecture in Slovakia
Gothic architecture in Slovakia
Renaissance architecture in Slovakia
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