Spiš Castle

A castle visible for dozens of kilometres

Spiš Castle (Spišský hrad) is the ruin of a vast castle on top of a 634 m travertine rock that rises 200 m above the Spiš basin. The rock’s almost vertical faces, 20–40 m high, made the site impregnable even before any walls were built. The castle towers over the small town of Spišské Podhradie, although it formally stands on the land of the village of Žehra. Covering about 4 hectares, it is one of the largest castle complexes in Central Europe, and since 1993, together with Levoča, Spišská Kapitula and the surrounding monuments, it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

People lived on the rock as early as the Neolithic, and around the turn of the eras a fortified hillfort of the Púchov culture stood here, associated with the Celtic Cotini tribe. The medieval castle arose in the 11th–12th centuries as the seat of Spiš County; the first written record that indirectly confirms it dates from 1209. In the first third of the 13th century a round tower and a Romanesque palace were built, and in 1241 the castle withstood the Mongol invasion. In the 15th century the Hussite commander Jan Jiskra of Brandýs ruled here, leaving a round bastion 17 m across. In 1465 King Matthias Corvinus gave the castle to the Zápolya family – on 2 February 1487 John Zápolya, later King of Hungary, was born here. The Thurzó family followed, and from 1639 to 1945 the Csáky counts. Once the owners moved into mansions below the hill, the castle declined, and a fire in 1780 turned it into a ruin.

What to see

• The lower courtyard – a huge walled space with towers, where knights’ tournaments, falconry shows and concerts take place in summer.
• The Romanesque outer bailey and middle courtyard measuring 150 × 60 m, with stories of the knight Šarško and Princess Šad (an audio guide is available in several languages, including English and Polish).
• Views of Spišská Kapitula, the Levoča Hills and, on clear days, the High Tatras.
• Night tours in summer, when the castle is floodlit.

Note: the upper castle with the Romanesque palace and keep is currently closed for reconstruction, so a reduced ticket applies.

Practical information

The easiest approach is from Žehra: parking there is free and the gate is only about 5 minutes’ walk away. From the car park in Spišské Podhradie the climb takes about 35 minutes. Regional and long-distance buses serve Spišské Podhradie; by train, take the Košice – Bratislava main line and change at Spišské Vlachy. The 2026 season began on 14 March; from April to September the castle is open daily 9:00–19:00, in October 9:00–17:00, in November depending on the weather, and it is closed in winter. An adult ticket costs €12, a family ticket €25. Paths are uneven and stony, so the visit is difficult with pushchairs or for people with limited mobility; the rock is often windy – bring a jacket.

Nearby

A few kilometres to the west lies Spišská Kapitula with the Romanesque-Gothic St Martin’s Cathedral, and further on Levoča with the Basilica of St James and Master Paul’s tallest Gothic altar. To the south-west stretches the Slovak Paradise: the Hornád Gorge and the Suchá Belá ravine.

Official website: spisskemuzeum.com

Photos: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Bobisekmilky, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; EliziR, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.