Castle Likava

Likavka, Slovakia, Slovakia

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Castle Likava in Likavka, Slovakia, is a 14th-century Gothic ruin built around 1335 atop a rocky Choc mountain peak overlooking the Váh River to guard trade routes from Liptov toward Orava and Poland. First mentioned in 1315 and constructed by Zvolen župan Donč, it passed through royal hands, endured Hussite occupation from 1430-1434, and was gifted to John Hunyadi who expanded it into a formidable fortress with a lower castle added in the late 15th century. Further fortified against Turkish threats in the 16th century under owners like the Báthorys—featuring cannon bastions from converted living quarters and chapel—it served as a prison during Thököly's 1678 uprising before Rákóczi's troops demolished it in 1707, with partial 2025 reconstructions preserving its multi-level layout today.