Slovenské hrady, kaštely a zříceniny – Fabian Petr (2024)

An overview of Slovak castles and ruins, supplemented by a selection of the most interesting chateaus and other fortified structures. A textual and photographic guide to 255 well-known and overlooked monuments across Slovakia, many of which have undergone remarkable restoration in recent years – while others continue to deteriorate. This book is a small guide to Slovak castles, chateaus, and ruins. It does not aim to compete with publications focused on the details of the historical and architectural development of noble residences in what is now Slovakia, nor does it attempt to maximize the number of described objects and locations (see recommended literature at the end for further or more detailed information). It also does not present castles as mysterious places shrouded in legends or enigmas – it strives to avoid this modern-day clutter as much as possible. Its focus is factual: it aims to present the current state of castles, chateaus, and ruins in Slovakia. The emphasis on 'the present' is not incidental – Slovak castles and ruins, or rather a large part of them, have undergone transformations since the beginning of the 21st century at such a pace and scale that a similar situation would likely be hard to find in the European context. Some ruins have literally...