Castles and mansions
Hardly any country can show off with such a number of castles and mansions as Slovakia. Slovakia had become for its wealth and strategic location a scene of big power conflicts for more than of thousand years. The building of stone castles was induced by Tatar invasion in 1241.
The most of castles in the territory of Slovakia originated in the course of 13th century, in particular 425 mansions, 180 castles together with castle ruins are situated here.
Castles in Slovakia are the witnesses of the ancient attacks. Mansions are modified castles that lost their defensive function and were rebuilt into comfortable and representative residences. Mansions served as comfortable and luxurious residences for a rich aristocracy. They were built on plains in the middle of nature and surrounded by splendid parks or gardens.
