Zrúcanina Blatnického hradu

Blatnica, Slovakia, Slovakia

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Zrúcanina Blatnického hradu consists of the ruins of a 13th-century Gothic castle perched on a low but sharp limestone ridge near the village of Blatnica in Slovakia's Veľká Fatra mountains, built around 1252 to protect the vital Magna Via trade route from Nitra northward.

It transitioned from royal ownership to private hands, with significant expansion by the Révay family after 1540, who added a large outer bailey, new buildings, and fortifications in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

Damaged during uprisings by Thököly and Rákóczi forces, it was briefly repaired in 1744 but abandoned by 1790, leaving remnants of walls, domes, and a barbican accessible today via hiking trails from Gaderská dolina.