Spis Castle (Spissky Hrad), Slovakia
After three days of dull wet weather at Aqua City in Poprad, we were hoping for some decent weather to get up into the High Tatra mountains. The forecast for Saturday was better, and it dawned bright with the hope of some sunshine. The mountain tops were still in cloud though, and we decided to go instead to Spis Castle. There was a big coffee-table book about the castle in our hotel room and it looked pretty impressive.
It was an easy drive east along the E50, which was being upgraded into a dual carriageway through to Presov, 85 km east of Poprad. Spis Castle was roughly midway along the route, 41km from Poprad. We didn't have a detailed map of the area and so we were relying on the small scale road atlas and the road signs. The whole area is called the Spis Region, with several towns beginning with the name "Spisska", "Spissky" or "Spisske", so there was some scope for confusion! We worked out that we had to turn off to the right into Spisske Podhradie and once there we saw signs for the castle, going through the centre of the little town.
These led to a car park where we paid an attendant to park and there were good toilets available. Getting out of the car we were immediately over-awed by the sight of the massive castle fortifications on the hilltop above us. And it looked quite a big climb to get up there as well, up a path leading directly up the grassy slope to the castle walls. People were spread out along the path, making their way slowly to the top.
We thought we'd have to carry 2-year-old Ailsa all the way, but she seemed determined to get there by herself. And she did! Slowly but steadily she walked up on the earthen path, refusing offers of a hand to help her until the path became a little uneven nearer the top. She really enjoyed herself, and seemed to realise what an achievement it was.
Near the top the path zig-zagged to avoid a rocky outcrop, but Frances preferred to climb straight over this along with Catriona. The rest of us walked around the main path, coming up below the lofty stone walls and rejoining the others. Then it was just a short walk to the gateway, which we reached half an hour after leaving the car park.
At the gateway we bought our tickets and went inside, where everyone immediately stopped for a rest on a bench, but Frances was soon up again and climbing up to the parapets running around the vast grassy enclosed space. Then we continued up the path, stopping off at a wooden stage to do some impromptu dancing performances for each other - there were rows of seats facing the stage. Ailsa thought this was great fun as well (see the Gallery).
Then on again up the path, past a battery of cannons pointing out over the walls towards the south. We reached a set of stairs leading up to a gateway into the inner fortress. At the bottom of the steps were some information boards, telling us (in English as well as Slovak) about the history of the castle, the wildlife (including some little rodents called Spermophiles which apparently live in the grassland and hibernate in winter) and the caves which reach into the hilltop beneath the castle.
[Wikipedia says that Spermophile covers a number of species of ground squirrels, including gophers and chipmunks in North America.]
Going up the stairs we had a good view over the enormous expanse of the outer enclosure, then we went through the gate and found ourselves in a smaller inner enclosure. Here were the main visitor facilities - a fast food kiosk, a shop, and toilets. Plus a large number of items of "public art" or sculpture spread out around the hillside, representing various animals and a range of different human activities. Very unusual! (See images of some of the artworks in the Gallery).
We went on up the wide stony path leading to the next gateway through another thick wall - this must have been a virtually impregnable fortress! Inside the path continued to rise up, and we found a woman sitting at a potter's wheel throwing pots using thick brown clay. Some of the finished work was on display against a wall and inside a small showroom. We had a quick look and then moved onwards and upwards.
Just then, we heard a cry from above, and looked up to see a man with a fancy plumed hat on, looking out from the parapets. He was shouting about some event that was shortly going to take place somewhere up there. We went on up, through yet another gateway and up steps onto the highest level of the castle (apart from a narrow circular tower that rose another 40 or 50 metres above). There was a series of roofless rooms, and from the windows we could look down on the pattern of walls below.
And there was a wide paved area with rows of seats set out and people taking their seats for the show. The performers were busy getting themselves ready in their costumes (from the 18th century?) in one of the little rooms to the side. Then the bearded announcer who we had seen leaning over the wall began the show, introducing his colleagues in pairs as they emerged with various deadly implements. They set into each other with gusto, as the audience oohed and aahed, then one was mortally wounded and they were replaced by another two combatants. It all finished with various people lying spread across the stones before they leapt up to take a bow and pass the hats around.
Some people had gone up the lookout tower but we were ready to make our way back. We did stop off at the fast food kiosk as Frances was getting hungry and we were all thirsty. The sun had come out, and it was warming up.
Emerging from the gateway onto the steps leading down to the outer enclosure, we caught sight of something moving. It was one of those spermophiles described on the information board. Then there was another. They were hard to pick out against the grass, but then we could see them more clearly as they sat up to look cautiously towards us. Like brownish squirrels, I'd say. A lovely sight (but you probably wouldn't want them digging holes in your lawn back home).
It didn't take us too long to walk back through the enclosure and down the hill - maybe another half hour - now Ailsa was quite happy to be carried in a backpack. I deviated a bit from the path a couple of times when the sun came out to try to get a photo of the castle with some of the carpet of wild flowers in the foreground. One or two of the pictures turned out OK.
Then we were back at the car, and we were all ready for some lunch. We drove back towards Poprad but turned off into the fortified town of Levoca. But that's another story.
Oh yes, we also made another stop on our way out. We were tempted by the display of finished pottery and decided it would make a good souvenir (although it's not the ideal sort of thing to pack in a suitcase). So we bought two matching bowls with beautiful patterns, one for Catriona and Ailsa, the other for us. It's next to me now, in the kitchen, filled with plums and peaches, reminding me of our visit to Spis Castle.
NB Back at our hotel room I had another look at the book on Spis Castle and found that the exterior views were all taken from the east side, showing a surfaced road leading up to the castle walls. Strange that we didn't see any sign of this - we seemed to be on the only route up there, but there must have been another one. The Lonely Planet guide does say the easiest approach by car is from the E50 coming from Presov (i.e. the east) so maybe that's why we didn't see a sign directing us into Spisska Podhradie.
According to this guide, Spisska Kapitula, just west of Spisska Podhradie, is also well worth a visit - it's "an ecclesiastical complex built in the 13th century" with a 16th century wall, Gothic houses and a magnificent cathedral. Ah well, we'll have to look out for that next time.
ABOUT THE CASTLE - what it said on the information board
Spis Castle is situated 634 metres above sea level and it belongs amongst the largest castle complexes in Europe (more than 4.15 hectares). The castle hill was already inhabited in 5000 BC. The period of intensive settlement and building came during the turn of eras, when the castle hill was inhabited by people of Puchov culture (influenced by Celtic culture). In the 7th century, a large Slavic settlement was built on the nearby hill of Drevenik. The end of this settlement comes with period when the Spis territory was annexed by Hungarian kingdom.
In the 12th century, life returned back on the castle hill and a huge habitable tower (Donjon type) was built. However, the tower collapsed because of tectonic distortions [an earthquake].
In the next century, another tower was built together with Romanesque palace. In 1241 during the Tartar-Mongolian invasion the area and settlement resisted. In the following period the Romanesque bailey and the middle yard were built. In the first half of the 15th century, Jan Jiskra from Brandys built most of today's castle buildings, together with the largest lower yard. In the middle of this yard the circular fortress stood for the captain of Jan Jiskra's army.
When the army left, the aristocratic family of Zapolya got the castle. They renovated it into the representative aristocratic residence. Spis Castle was the birthplace of Johannes Zapolya, later pretender of the Hungarian throne. In the next decades, the castle was possessed by aristocratic Thurzo family, later by Csaky family. In the 18th century it was uncomfortable place and too costly to maintain. Therefore the last owners moved to more comfortable residences built in the close villages.
In 1780 the abandoned castle was destroyed by a huge fire. No-one has since tried to build it again in its previous beauty and greatness. In 1961 Spis Castle was declared as a National Cultural Monument. Eight years later the architectonical research began and reconstruction work was deployed. In 1993 Spis Castle together with its surroundings was included into the World Cultural Heritage List under UNESCO.
Contributed by Andrew Llanwarne - September 2008
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