Uhrovec Castle

Uhrovské Podhradie, Slovakia, Slovakia

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Uhrovec Castle near Uhrovské Podhradie in western Slovakia was built in the mid-13th century by Trenčín župan Baš as a Romanesque refuge fortress amid the Strážovské vrchy mountains, strategically placed away from trade routes for defense against invasions like the Mongol attacks. It passed to powerful figures including Matthew Csák in 1285, who expanded his dominium around it until 1321, then to King Charles Robert, Sigismund of Luxembourg—who granted it to Stibor of Stiboricz in 1389—and later owners like the Zay family, featuring a triangular upper castle with chapel, towers, rainwater cisterns, and a lower ward added in the 16th century. Never heavily damaged in major battles due to its remote terrain, it served as a noble treasury and shelter until a 19th-century fire led to abandonment, with its well-preserved Gothic extensions now under volunteer restoration as a hiking site.