Trenčín Castle

Trenčín Castle towers over the town and the Váh river in western Slovakia. Its oldest part is a stone rotunda, probably dating from the Great Moravian period; in the 13th and 14th centuries the castle was the seat of Matthew III Csák, after whom the imposing keep, the Máté Tower, is named. The Treaty of Trentschin was concluded here in 1335. A Roman inscription on the castle rock commemorates the victory of a Roman legion in AD 179. The complex is a protected National Cultural Monument.

Visit the Máté Tower, the roughly 80-metre-deep “Well of Love” in the lower castle and the exhibitions of the Trenčín Museum, which include furniture, weapons and other artefacts. Allow two to three hours. The most convenient option is to park in town and walk up; the routes from the town centre are short. In the evening the castle looks especially impressive from below.