Kuchyňa Castle was a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

in the

Little Carpathians The Little Carpathians (also: ''Lesser Carpathians'', ; ; ) are a low mountain range, about 100 km long, and part of the Carpathian Mountains. The mountains are situated in Western Slovakia, covering the area from Bratislava to Nové Mesto n ...

near the municipality

Kuchyňa Kuchyňa () is a municipality in the Malacky District in the Bratislava Region of western Slovakia close to the town of Malacky, north-west of Slovakia's capital Bratislava. Nearby castle ruins of Kuchyňa Castle bear the name of the municipality. ...

in the

Bratislava region The Bratislava Region (, ; (until 1919); ) is one of the Regions of Slovakia, administrative regions of Slovakia. Its capital is Bratislava. The region was first established in 1923 and its present borders exist from 1996. It is the smallest of ...

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

. Only modest remains of some parts of the castle are visible today. The ruins are located approximately 420 m above sea level. The ruins of the castle were only discovered in the 1980s and are generally much less well known than those of other castles in the region, such as

Biely Kameň Biely Kameň (literally ''White Stone'' in English) are the ruins of a Gothic castle located on a wooded hill above the town of Svätý Jur in the Pezinok district in the Bratislava region, Slovakia. The name Biely Kameň became commonplace in th ...

and

Pajštún Castle Pajštún Castle or Pajštún (, Hungarian language, Hungarian: Pozsonyborostyánkő, ) is a ruined Middle Ages, medieval castle in the municipality of Borinka in the Bratislava region of Slovakia. It is located on the western edge of the Little C ...

. The site nonetheless remains a hiking destination.

History

Historical evidence relating to the Kuchyňa Castle is largely archeological in nature. The castle does not explicitly appear in any written document. Its historical name is also unknown - "Kuchyňa Castle" is derived from the name of the nearby municipality. Nonetheless, there is no doubt that it really was a castle. The building had all the typical features of a medieval castle and was located in a strategic location on a hill. The castle was to the east likely accompanied by a settlement that formed its economic backbone. The castle was probably built at the beginning of the 14th century. For most if not all of its history it was owned by

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

s from

Svätý Jur Svätý Jur (; ; ; ; formerly ''Jur pri Bratislave'') is a small historical town northeast of Bratislava, located in the Bratislava Region. The city is situated on the slopes of Little Carpathians mountains and surrounded by typical terraced vine ...

and

Pezinok Pezinok (; in the local dialect ''Pezinek''; ; ; ) is a town in southwestern Slovakia. It is roughly northeast of Bratislava and, as of December 2023, had a population of 24,443. Pezinok lies near the Little Carpathians and thrives mainly on vi ...

. When properties in the region passed from local aristocracy under the royal crown in 1543, the Kuchyňa Castle did not appear on the list, which suggests that it was already decrepit and abandoned at the time. This is corroborated by archeological findings. More extensive archeological excavations are needed to learn more about the history of the castle.

Description

The oval core of the castle had at each end of the longitudinal axis a stone tower of approximately the same dimensions (internal space more than 4x4 m, masonry thickness 2 m), which were used not only for defense, but probably also for housing. In addition to the dimensions, the presumption of the residential function is indicated by fragments of tiles with embossed decoration, which come from the heating equipment in the rooms and testify to rich furnishings of the interiors. The sloping blocks of masonry on the slopes suggest that the extended platform between the towers may have been protected by a wall and probably contained only small buildings. No traces of it have been preserved on the surface. In the lower position, the inner castle was surrounded by fortifications, perhaps a rampart with a palisade, in the milder southern side doubled by another fortification arch. In this area there were perhaps farm buildings, indicated by a hole in the northwest.Jaroslav Nešpor, Za tajomstvami zrúcanín, zrúcaniny západného Slovenska, Gu100, 2007

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuchyňa Castle Ruined castles in Slovakia Buildings and structures in Bratislava Region

History

Description

See also

References