Castle Sklabiňa

Sklabinský Podzámok, Slovakia, Slovakia

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Sklabiňa Castle near Sklabinský Podzámok in northern Slovakia was built in stages starting in the first half of the 13th century on a hilltop site, with its first written mention in 1309 linked to master builder Donč, and expanded in the early 14th century. Serving as the royal seat of Turiec County from 1328 with a prison and archives, it was burned by Hussites in 1434, rebuilt in the late 15th century, and acquired by the Révay family in 1527 who added a Renaissance manor house around 1610 that functioned until 1944. Destroyed by Nazi forces during the Slovak National Uprising in September 1944, its ruins—including a Gothic chapel, prismatic tower remnants, walls, and bastions—have undergone volunteer-led restoration since 2000, drawing thousands of visitors yearly.