Smolenice Castle

Name:

Smolenický zámok

Contact: Director

Proprietor:

Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), Bratislava

Address:

Zámocká 18, 919 04 Smolenice, Slovakia

Telephone:

421 (0) 33 558 6191, 421 (0) 33 558 6192

Fax:

421 (0) 33 558 6193

Email:

kc-smolenice@savba.sk

Website:

http://www.kcsmolenice.sav.sk

Hours:

Jul-Aug: 10am-6pm daily; Sep-Jun: by appointment

Smolenice Castle was built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries on the site of a 14th-century castle which had guarded the border mountain pass between Slovak and Czech territory. In 1777 the castle passed to the Pálffy family, but due to its poor condition and lack of money reconstruction did not commence until 1887. Bastions from the old castle were preserved, with height extension and new roofing. Architect Jozef Hubert modelled the new castle on the Kreuzenstein Castle near Vienna, and construction involved masters from Italy, Germany, Austria and Hungary, and 60 workmen from Smolenice and nearby villages. The main building has two wings and a tower, and is made of ferroconcrete.

Smolenice Castle suffered war damage in 1945, and in that same year it passed into state ownership. Some reconstruction was carried out after 1950, and in 1953 the castle became the property of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), which converted it into a conference centre. The castle is opened to the public only in the months of July and August.