The Spis castle is a unique monument representing a royal castle from the medieval era. It was built at the turn of the 12th century. At the end of the 13th century the castle had almost completely acquired its current shape. The first written mention of the castle dates back to 1249. That time the castle belonged to the royal dynasties of Arpád and Anjou. In 1464 the castle was gained by Emerich Zápoľský, the hereditary coun of Spiš. Thanks to him and his brother Stephan the fortress transformed into the gothic aristocratic residence. The castle was owned by the Zápoľský family until 1528. In 1531 the monarch bestowed the castle to Alexey Thurzo. During the rule of the Thurzo family the castle was rebuilt into a grand and lordly residence representing the renaissance era. In 1636 the Čáki family gained control over the castle. It was owned by them until 1949. The Čáki tried to adapt the castle to their reqquirements and conteporary needs. As time went on, the Čáki moved away to settle in their country mansions. The castle then became the place where military garrison would gather. Later on the castle deteriorated rapidly and in 1780 it was burnt down. Since then it has lost most of its significance. In 1993 the Spiš castle was registered in the Unescoʹs world cultural heritage list. In 2010 the town of Levoča was added to the list, as well as the works of art created by Master Paul.
SNM- Spiš museum in Levoča (SNM-SML) was founded more than 130 years ago. First of all, during its long- term history it has been responsible for administration and development of the Spiš castle. The museum expositions include the showrooms in the Master Paulʹs house (Main square 20), historical townhall (Main square 2), and the Hainʹs house (Main square 40) and Old Monastery of Minorities (Kláštorská street 38).
SNM-SM, Námestie Majstra Pavla 40, 054 01 Levoča, +421 53/451 2786, www.spisskemuzeum.com info@spisskemuzeum.com fb: SNM-Spišské múzeum v Levoči Ig:spisskyhrad_official
We are trying to manage the castle in such a way that you all find out what history tastes like.
The management of the historical monument is also the management of findings from archaeological research. Such management requires technical security. The mobile containers in the car park are a temporary space for storing and protecting these finds and also serve as a technical background for the castle. The set of containers for the temporary technical facilities of NKP-Spišské Castle is located until the end of III. stages of the reconstruction of Spiš castle.