Kežmarok Castle — Attraction in Kežmarok

Kežmarok Castle (Kežmarský hrad) is one of the best-preserved urban castles in Slovakia. It’s located right in the heart of the town of Kežmarok, at the foot of the High Tatras. The castle dates back to the 15th century and was built on the site of an earlier Gothic church. Over the centuries, it served various roles – defensive, residential, and administrative – and was owned by wealthy townspeople and nobility.

Architecturally, the castle has a compact structure with corner towers and a central courtyard surrounded by solid walls. It has the character of a fortress but still retains an elegant appearance, making it quite photogenic. From the outside, it looks impressive – light-colored walls, red-tiled roofs, and surrounding greenery create a beautiful contrast.

Visitors can enter the courtyard and, with a guided tour, explore some of the museum exhibitions inside. The castle houses displays related to the history of the Spiš region, medieval weaponry, and everyday life in centuries past. Even if you don’t go inside, it’s worth stopping by just to admire the structure and atmosphere from...

You can enter the castle only with the guide, there is no other option. The tour is in Slovak language only. The museum will give you a paper with some information in your language to read on the way. There is a schedule for the guided tours, but it is not mentioned on the museum's web page, nor is all the other information, so you could wait for a tour for about 1 hour or even more. The historical car museum is in the castle, but you need cash to buy the tickets - payment by card is not available.

Not sure if it is worth your time if you are not from Slovakia. You can read the information from paper by yourself at home, so a tour with the guide is just a waste of time if you don't speak Slovak. Also very strange that you need to pay in cash for the entrance to the car museum, at the separate ticket desk, even though they have a...

The urban compound of the castle originated in 1463. Curiosity and courage were properties the noble Princess Beata Laská of Kežmarok Castle certainly possessed. Otherwise she would never have set out on a trip accompanied by several burghers from Kežmarok to the not too distant Snow Mountains (today called the Tatras) in 1565. When the princess returned three days later, after having visited Zelené pleso lake, her angry husband was waiting for her at the gate of the castle. He decided to have the Princess interned in the strongest tower where she passed six long years in extremely hard conditions. The only relief for the unfortunate princess was that the tower had two small windows, one overlooking her beloved Snow Mountains, and the other through which she...