The combination of geographical location, natural scenery and historical landmarks makes Veliko Tărnovo to be historically and architecturally one of the most important towns in Europe.

The first thing a visitor of Veliko Tărnovo will notice is the dominating feature of the city – a high rocky hill Carevec, surrounded by a massive medieval walls. The area is connected to the outside only by a narrow bridge and hide the ruins of Czar’s palaces and churches.

Steep slopes below the walls are several hundred meters deep. All the impressive scenery is completed with thousands of small houses from the 18th and 19th century, which, from the distance, look like they were built one above the other.

With a beautiful view of the city would be satisfied also the tourists who have no idea how many historical events took place in the context of European history.

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The main section of the fair is located in Piazza Grande, Piazza San Francesco, and the Logge Vasari which transforms the whole city center into one great market place.

Arezzo Antiques Fair is held in the first weekend of every month and has an average attendance of 20.000 people each weekend. The exhibitors come from all over Italy and offer a panorama of cultural traditions, costumes and artefacts from Italy’s history.

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Spiš Castle is spread on an area of more than 4 hectares on a travertine hill at an altitude of 634 meters. You’ll find the castle located just outside the village of Spišské Podhradie, close to medieval town of Levoča. While it’s possible to walk the distance from the village the castle, the walk itself will take more than an hour to complete; which is why many visitors choose to simply drive up to the parking lot which is located just under the castle.

Spiš Castle, Slovakia by Ronnie Macdonald

The castle is situated on an ancient trade route so this place was inhabited since Palaeolithic Period. Sometimes around the beginning of the 1st century it was a place of a very large fortress called Púchov and since then the place underwent a rich history.

When it comes to visiting Slovakia, there are a number of excellent places to visit throughout the country. However, one of the most popular destinations for many travellers who make their way to the country is that of the Spiš Castle.

It was back in 1120 when the Spiš Castle construction first began. Back in those days, it was nothing more than a boundary fort and was used to protect the region during the old Hungarian feudal days. Later on, it was set as the head of the region for several centuries. As a result of the numerous attacks on the castle throughout the centuries, many sections had been destroyed. However, as early as the 15th century, reconstruction efforts were performed in order to convert the castle into a residence. It was Štefan Zápoľský who can be credited with turning the boundary fort into the castle it is today.

Spiš Castle, Slovakia – aerial view by Civertan

Unfortunately, back in 1780 there was a massive fire within the castle compound which just destroyed a large portion of the Spiš Castle. Since there is nobody living on the property or caring for the castle at the time, the Spiš Castle fell into disrepair. It was not until the 1970s with the help of conservationists, that extensive reconstruction and repair of the foundation, walls and other parts the castle were undertook. And while the castle today is still partially in ruins, it has long since been stabilized and many sections had been completely refurbished.

Today, the castle is openly accessible as a museum filled with multiple collections that date back through the centuries. Most of the political documentation back from the medieval days is also on display within the Castle Museum.

The Spiš Castle is a historically important castle not just in Slovakia, but also within Central Europe. It is a beautiful display of medieval architecture. It is also a picturesque, stately manor home which has been referred to by many as a palace which has inspired countless storybooks over the centuries.

So if you are heading to European Capital of Culture in 2013 – Košice, take some time for a trip and visit this castle, which is situated only 70 kilometres away.

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