Čachtice Castle is located on a hill 375 meters above sea level in western Slovakia. The castle has long been in a dilapidated state. But during the 20th century, it was rapidly deteriorating, and rare tourists visited it. Local residents arranged parties in the castle of Elizabeth Bathory, grilled kebabs and even set up tents.
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| Cachtice Castle |
Then the tower collapsed and the castle fell into complete decay. The last thing left was for the locals to start pulling the stones of the ancient fortress to build the foundations of their houses. Such a sad fate befell many castles and monasteries, but the famous mistress saved the Čachtice Castle. Even today in this area she is more alive than all living things, she is remembered and visited, and the locals make good money on this because the earthly riches are no longer important for Bathory herself.
Elizabeth Bathory did not commit those terrible crimes that are attributed to her, but she gained fame thanks to these bloody myths. Therefore, on the eve of the 400th anniversary of the death of the countess, they remembered the castle and decided to restore it. In the summer of 2014, the castle was reopened, and now it is accessible to tourists, of which there are many more.
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| Cachtice Castle |
People watch films about the bloody countess, someone even reads books, while others just heard an incredible story that shocked them. The story of Elizabeth Bathory turned out to be really incredible, no murderer of the 20th century can compare with her "exploits" Therefore, traveling across Slovakia, people want to visit the earthly lot of the sinister countess.
Medieval European castles have attracted millions of tourists who have fallen under the influence of the experience industry and now strive in every way to satisfy their travel hunger. But if you look at the Čachtice Castle with a thoughtful look, you understand that there is little interesting there.
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| Cachtice Castle |
Čachtice has a long history, it was built long before the birth of Elizabeth Bathory. The first stone was laid back in the XIII century, then it was a guard fortress. The ancient fortress was raided, it was rebuilt, and eventually turned into a castle. Years passed, and the castle changed owners, because in those good old days, rare people lived for a long time, life was very harsh, so the castles passed from one owner to another.
Then it was Elizabeth Bathory's turn to become the mistress of the castle. It was she who glorified these places and only thanks to bloody legends did people want to see the ruins of her ominous castle.
Tourists overcome a difficult path to get to the Bathory castle, they think to touch the most terrible story captured in stone. In fact, the Čachtice Castle is unremarkable. All the facts indicate that Elizabeth was slandered, subjected to the most unjust trial, and then imprisoned in her own house and robbed.
There are many castles in Europe, where in fact hundreds and even thousands of people were tortured, they just did not have such a legendary mistress with bloody baths. But tourists really want to believe in a terrible legend, take pictures against the background of the ruins and then tell how they heard crying and groans coming from the dungeons of the Čachtice Castle.
Someone even saw the countess herself, in a red bloody dress. But these are all fantasies because people want vivid impressions. That is why the locals cherish the castle, and monitor its condition, so that it attracts more and more tourists. Gullible tourists seem to want to be deceived, they believe in every word of the legend, and therefore willingly pay 3 euros to enter the castle and buy ridiculous souvenirs.
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| Cachtice Castle |
Do you also believe in fairy tales, and want to be deceived or prefer to know the truth? If you want to see a truly ominous castle, in which thousands of people were tortured and killed, go to the Solovetsky Islands, there is a Kremlin that surpasses the castle of Elizabeth Bathory in everything.
The Solovetsky Kremlin is much larger than the Čachtice Castle, some of the boulders from which its towers are built demonstrate the greatness and strength of its builders. And most importantly, the Kremlin has a rich history. He was shot from guns by British ships and could not inflict damage. Thousands of people languished within its walls, but everything returned to where it began and now it is being reborn as an Orthodox monastery.
Čachtice Castle is also a tourist attraction, but not a place of bloody rituals of the evil countess. Čachtice Castle is a place of imprisonment of a wise and stylish woman who was unjustly condemned by hostile aristocrats and the Catholic Church. Therefore, if you actually have psychic abilities, you will see there are not bloody baths and images of ruined virgins, but a sad countess imprisoned in a tower.