Krásna Hôrka Castle – TIK Rožňava

Only 5 kilometres from Rožňava you can find the national cultural monument Krásna Hôrka Castle. The original Gothic castle was built around 1320 to protect the medieval road that led through the mining areas of the Slovak Ore Mountains. The castle began to be fortified more at the time of the Turkish threat. A Renaissance fortification was built with three cannon bastions and a cannon terrace. In front of the entrance to the castle´s gate there was the Baroque Chapel of St. Ján Nepomucký built in 1735. The castle was owned by three important families: the Mariássy family, the Bebek family and the Andrássy family. The last owners were Dionýz Andrássy and his wife Františka. The castle is one of the few preserved castles in Slovakia in terms of construction, architecture and equipment. It has served as a museum since the 19th century, which was established by Juraj IV. At that time, the castle was no longer inhabited. The last owner of the castle was Dionýz Andrássy, who did not want to be buried in the castle like his family. The reason was that he was withdrawn from inheritance due to his unequal marriage with Františka Andrássy, whose maiden name was Hablawetz.

Thanks to many modifications, the Andrássy family turned Krásná Hôrka into a magnificent aristocratic residence. After 1770, they built a castle chapel with a classicist interior. A family tomb of the Andrássy family was established next to the chapel.

Since 1857, Krána Hôrka Castle has functioned as a museum. At that time, Count Juraj Andrássy established a family museum from the original equipment of the castle, from the preserved weapons and armaments in several rooms. The collections were opened to those interested in 1867. Hungarian doctors and naturalists, participants in the All-Mountain Congress in Košice, were the first to visit the museum in 1867. In several rooms, Count Dionýz Andrássy established the Františka Museum in honor of his wife Františka Hablawetz, where her personal belongings are exposed.

After the Second World War on the basis of the Decree of the President of the Republic no. 108/1945 the castle and the whole area were taken over by the Czechoslovak Republic. The confiscated property was managed by the National Cultural Commission for Slovakia. On February 27, 1961, Krásna Hôrka Castle was declared a national cultural monument. In March 2012, the castle burned down and it is currently under the reconstruction. It should be open to the public again in 2023.