Castle ruins in the Slovak “Maginot Line”

Monday morning was spent getting introduced to our local doctor, a middle aged, attractive woman who doesn’t speak English but who is kind and ready to help us when we need it. We are not in immediate need, except to get Scott’s prescription medication organized locally. But now we are officially insured, and we have a smiling face and a phone number attached to it.

Afterward, Scott suggested we go find some more castle ruins.

We found another way out of the Štiavnické Hills, this time east toward Krupina on a road right out of the south end of Svätý Anton with a sign warning “this road is not usable in winter.” We met half a dozen vehicles on the short 14K ribbon through a gentle slope down to Krupina and it is clear this road is used mostly by lumber trucks carrying long, felled trees out of the forest.

Halfway to our first planned stop at the 16^th century watchtower in Krupina, we encounter another anti-Turk bastion in Žibritov. Predictably, Scott can’t resist the urge to jump out, take a pic then climb all over it. It’s these unexpected gems that make us so pleasantly surprised.

Many of these ruins in our greater neighbourhood were at one time constructed or modified to help protect the land from the invading Ottoman Turks during the 16th and 17^th centuries.  We see one of them every time we drive through Levice, and even the 10^th century Benedictine Abbey in Hronský Beňadik was drafted in because of its strategic – and well fortified – position on the Hron River.  The most prominent castle in Banská Štiavnica, the Nový Zamok (“new” Tower built in 1564-1571) – is another.

But there was a specific line of fortifications built or drafted into this Slovak “Maginot Line” – in sight of one another – so that they could warn via fire signal of the approaching Turks. 

Unfortunately for the local population, this was no more effective than the later Maginot Line - many of the fortifications were captured and burned or destroyed, along with the requisite raping and pillaging of the locals. What remains, however, are beautiful ruins we’ve come searching for.

Krupina has one remaining tower, also built in 1564 and now restored and easily accessible by everyone who is willing to climb steep stairs up 13 meters, including bored, local teenagers who feel the need to communicate their love of American ‘music’.

 It is clear why this location was chosen on top of a long hill: how easy to light a signal fire (think of those lit between Gondor and Rohan in Tolkien’s Return of the King).

The tower also seems to be a popular hiking trek, though we wimpishly drove to its base.

Then it was on to the next castle ruin at Bzovík.  Scott thinks this is a real jackpot when it comes to castle ruins.  And it has an intriguing history with, some say, one of the country’s best preserved fortification systems. 

Like Hronský Beňadik, Bzovík began life as a Benedictine monastery built in the 13^th century. A short history can be found at the entry of the ruins:

Bzovík monastery was founded in 1130 by comes Lambert. The monastery church was built in the first half of the 12^th century. . . (In) 1530 . . . the monastery was conquered by the captain Zsikmund Balassa. He chased the monks away and started the rebuilding of the monastery . . . The former sacristy served as a chapel. Round the monastery was built a square-shaped fortification with a bastion in each corner. There was a water moat around it.  . . . After the World War 2 the monastery buildings were destroyed by local people because it wasn’t acceptable for the ideology of that period and the material was used to build roads or repair the houses destroyed in the war.

We remark again on the easy access of this place like so many others here in Slovakia: there are no security guards or ticket counter, no amenties or gift shops, no signs telling us what we can’t do.  We are free to wander about, climbing up the steps and looking out through the ramparts. 

Scott read online that some of these castle ruins are for sale.  This particular one was bought recently by the local town of Bzovík (for four Euros). They’re looking to get EU funding to restore the place and some work has actually begun on one of the towers where we can see that it’s being plumbed for electricity.  New circular stairways have been built- though there is no railing, so we climb at our own risk. Jo thinks it would be fun to own a castle ruin. 

Scott suggests that, although the asking price is reasonable, perhaps the cost to make anything of it is not within our budget.