[EN]
About the castle
The dominant of Trencín and whole Middle-Váh-Valley (Považie) keeps guard over the old mercantile routes connecting the Mediterranean area with the Baltic and North Europe.
On the locality of today´s castle was built a bulwark in the times of Great Moravia, serving as a community centre. Contemporary castle arose in the 11th century as a borderland stronghold watching important Váh fords and Carpathian passes, through which there led mercantile routes, merging the territory of Northern Hungary and Middle-Slovak mining towns with Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia and Poland. In the next centuries it became the domicile of borderland commitat, royal and later aristocratic county.
Today there are installed exhibition rooms and many Museum´s expositions inside the castle.
Ludovít´s Palace
Upon the castle´s acropolis, there are three palaces. The oldest one of them is Ludovít´s (Lewis´s) Palace, built in the second half of the 14th century by the king Lewis the Great (now situated right next to the Matúš´s Tower).
On the first floor of the palace, there is placed a permanent exposition of cold weapons and firearms from the 13th to 19th century. We can find here Gothic swords, rapiers, sabres, as well as halberds, javelins and spears. The attention of visitors is mostly allured by Oriental weapons, as yataghans, helmets and parts of armament, which are decorated by the quotations from Koran. There can also be seen boastful guns and pistols of Balkan type. As for firearms, visitors´ attention can be captivated by the Prussian needle guns, Austrian weapons, rifles and revolvers. A separate collection is devoted to hunt weapons.
In the groundfloor rooms of the palace, there is installed a part of exposition of Illeshazy family gallery, opened by the Museum on May of 2006. The exposition has enriched this unique collection in another pictures with Biblical themes, the topics of Greek mythology, the portraits of royal Habsburg family, as well as the portraits of unknown noblemen. A curiosity of the collection are two evangelic pictures.
Matúš´s Tower
The oldest building of habitable and defensive type in the castle is a capital tower (bergfrid; donjon), usually called Matúš´s Tower (Matthias´s Tower).
It was built by the end of the 11th century in Romanesque style and in about 1270 it was built round by a brick cloak and arranged in Gothic style.
As a tradition says, the fourth Tower´s floor used to be a workroom of Matúš Cák of Trencín and here is in fact placed not a large exposition dedicated to this controversial figure of our history. On separate storeys we can find target rifles from the 19th century displayed and there are chronologically assorted the Trencín Castle owners´ escutcheons, placed upon the walls. The toppest storey of the Tower offers a unique view over a greater part of Middle-Váh-Valley.
Barbora´s Palace
Sigismund of Luxembourg let this palace build for his second wife Barbora of Celj in about 1430.
To build it up, they utilised an older part of bulwark and the outer wall of Matúš´s Palace, to which they annexed other stone walls. Inside the old part a visitor can see original windows with preserved Gothic frescos from the 13th century.
First of the rooms, the Knight Hall, is the largest one at the same time. The Hall had the ceiling adorned by a lunette vault in the 16th century, of which today there are only remainders. Another rooms used to serve as living-rooms (one was a wardrobe and the other one Barbora´s bedroom). A staircase and draw wooden door of the bedroom would join this room to the Castle´s basement. Inside there were placed food and wine storerooms and a black kitchen.
The palace used to be an edifice for representations. At present times it is being employed for occasional exhibitions and weddings.
Southern Fortification
The Castle itself used to be from its beginning a strong and unconquerable fortress above all. It was never conquered by any assault though its garrison had to capitulate twice on condition that they would leave the Castle giving up their arms. As the centuries were passing by, the Castle would be besieged and assailed. At these actions the Castle was every time largely damaged and had burned down for several times. Nevertheless, its defense had since the 18th century been developed and modernized.
Well of love
There is a legend of Turkish nobleman´s love to lovely Fatima, who was the Castle lord´s Štefan Zápolský´s captive, being combined with the Well of love (called Love because of Omar´s love to Fatima).
So that Omar could set Fatima free from the Castle, he promised to dig in the stony Castle rock a well. For three years he had been digging with his companions till the rock truly gave water off. Only a few of the diggers had, however, stayed alive. A first goblet of water Omar handed over to Zápolský, saying so, ´You truly have water, Zápolský, but you have no heart.´ When Omar and Fatima were leaving free the Castle, her veil had been torn off on a rose-bush. Till nowadays, the oldest inn has had there its place and though now it´s called Fatima, before they called it "The Veil".
Dungeon
The south-east cylindrical bastion, also called the Royal Tower, was built in the 15th century by Sigismund of Luxembourg (originally serving as an "outlook" tower).
As a later tradition says, this tower started to serve as the Castle´s dungeon („Hunger“ tower). Through the hole of 45 x 45 cm (inside the building) is possible to get into the basement with the depth of 9 metres. Nevertheless, there exists no document proving that someone was famished inside and it is supposed that the Dungeon would only be an intimidating way of imprisoning.
[SK]
O hrade
Dominanta Trencína i celého Považia stráži pradávne obchodné trasy spájajúce stredomorskú oblast s Pobaltím a severnou Európou.
Na mieste dnešného hradu stálo v období Velkej Moravy hradisko ako správne centrum prilahlého regiónu. Dnešný hrad vznikol v 11. storocí ako pohranicná pevnost, strážiaca dôležité vážske brody a dôležité karpatské priesmyky, cez ktoré prechádzali obchodné cesty, spájajúce oblast severného Uhorska a stredoslovenských banských miest s Cechami, Moravou, Sliezskom a Polskom. V dalších storociach sa stal sídlom pohranicného komitátu, královskej a neskôr šlachtickej župy.
Dnes sú v jeho starobylých priestoroch umiestnené výstavné priestory a viaceré expozície Trencianskeho múzea.
Ludovítov palác
Na hradnej akropole sa nachádzajú tri paláce. Najstarším je Ludovítov palác, ktorý dal v druhej polovici 14. storocia postavit král Ludovít Velký, hned vedla najstaršej obytnej stavby na hrade - Matúšovej veže.
Na I. poschodí Ludovítovho paláca sa nachádza stála expozícia Chladných a palných zbraní od 13. do 19. storocia. Nájdeme tu gotické mece, rapíry, šable, palaše, ale i halapartne, oštepy a kopije. Pozornosti sa tešia bohato zdobené orientálne zbrane, ako jatagány, prilby a súcasti ochrannej zbroje, zdobené rytým dekórom a citátmi z Koránu, ci honosné pušky a pištole balkánskeho typu. Z palných zbraní zaujmú napríklad pruské ihlovky, rakúske zbrane, pušky a revolvery. Samostatnú menšiu kolekciu tvoria lovecké zbrane.
V prízemných priestoroch Ludovítovho paláca Trencianske múzeum v máji 2006 otvorilo dalšiu cast expozície Rodovej galérie Ilešháziovcov a obrazy z ilešháziovských sídiel, ktorá obohatila túto unikátnu zbierku o dalšie obrazy s biblickou tematikou, s námetmi gréckej mytológie, portréty královskej rodiny Habsburgovcov, ako i portréty neznámych šlachticov. Zaujímavostou sú dva evanjelické obrazy.
Matúšová veža
Najstaršou stavbou obytného a obranného charakteru na Trencianskom hrade je hlavná útocištná veža (bergfrid, donjon), tradicne nazývaná Matúšova.
Bola postavená koncom 11. storocia v románskom slohu a okolo roku 1270 ju obstavali tehlovým pláštom a upravili v gotickom duchu.
Podla tradície na štvrtom poschodí veže má svoju pracovnu Matúš Cák Trenciansky a tu sa i nachádza nevelká expozícia venovaná tejto kontroverznej postave našich dejín. Na jednotlivých poschodiach nájdeme vystavené tercovnice z 19. storocia a na stenách erby jednotlivých držitelov a kapitánov Trencianskeho hradu. Z najvyššieho poschodia veže je unikátny výhlad na velkú cast Považia.
Barborin palác
Barborin palác dal pre svoju druhú manželku Barboru Celskú postavit cisár Žigmund Luxemburský okolo r. 1430.
Pri stavbe využili staršie parkanové opevnenie a vonkajšiu stenu Matúšovho paláca, ku ktorej pristavili ostatné kamenné steny. Na tejto možno vidiet pôvodné okná so zachovalými gotickými freskami z 13. storocia.
Prvá miestnost, Rytierska sien, je najväcšou miestnostou na hrade. Sála mala v 16. storocí lunetovú klenbu, po ktorej sa zachovali už len stopy. Dalšie miestnosti slúžili ako obytné priestory. Jedna z nich bola šatníkom a druhá spálnou královnej Barbory. Schodmi a padacími dverami bola spálna prepojená s podzemím. V podzemí boli umiestnené sklady vína a potravín a pravdepodobne i cierna kuchyna.
Palác bol reprezentacnou budovou. V súcasnosti sa využíva na príležitostné výstavy a svadby.
Južné opevnenie
Trenciansky hrad bol od svojho vzniku predovšetkým mocnou a nedobytnou pevnostou. Nikdy nebol dobytý priamym útokom, iba dva razy kapitulovala jeho posádka s podmienkou cestného odchodu so zbranou. V priebehu stárocí bol obliehaný a dobýjaný. Pri týchto akciách utrpel znacné škody, niekolkokrát vyhorel. Jeho obrana sa však až do 18. storocia vyvíjala a modernizovala.
Studna lásky
K hradnej studni sa viaže povest o láske tureckého šlachtica Omara ku krásnej Fatime, zajatkyni trencianskeho hradného pána Štefana Zápolského.
Aby Fatimu vyslobodil, prislúbil Omar, že vykope na Trencianskom hrade v tvrdej skale studnu. Po tri roky kopal so svojimi druhmi, až skala skutocne vydala vodu, z kopácov však prežili iba nemnohí. Prvú cašu vody Omar podal Zápolskému so slovami: "Vodu máš Zápolský, ale srdce nemáš". Ked Omar odvážal oslobodenú Fatimu na koni z hradu, zachytil sa jej závoj na šípovom kríku. Na tom mieste dodnes stojí najstarší hostinec v Trencíne, nazývaný "Fatima", alebo v skorších casoch i "Závoj".
Hladomorna
Juhovýchodnú valcovitú baštu zvanú aj "Královská veža" dal v 15. storocí postavit Žigmund Luxemburský, pôvodne ako vyhliadkovú vežu.
Podla neskoršej tradície zacala slúžit ako hradné väzenie a hladomorna. Otvorom 45 x 45 cm je možné dostat sa do suterénu. (Je 9 m hlboký.) Nezachoval sa však žiaden dokument, že tu bol niekto umorený hladom, bol to skôr zastrašovací spôsob väzenia.
Price/Cena: max. 4.28 EUR
Zdroj/Source: http://www.muzeumtn.sk