Detrekő castle and the Pálffy palace

Detrekő (Plavecké Podhradie) is located in the Little Carpathians, it is in the Upper lands/Horná Zem/Felvidék. Now it is in Slovakia, not very far from Pozsony (Bratislava, Pressburg).

Here is a video about the castle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0-FnKAZ-B0

The castle was built in the 13th century and belonged to the Hungarian king. It was besieged by King Ottokar in 1273 but the Czech ruler could not take it. Later, Lord Csák Máté was equally unsuccessful.

The castle was owned by the Count Szentgyörgyi and Count Bazini, then it belonged to the Serédy and later to the Salm family.

Then, it was given to the Fuggers, and then King Ferdinand I bought it and gave it to the Balassa family. In the time of Lord Balassa Menyhárt, the locals called the castle „Gyötrőkő” („Torturing-stone”).

Bornemissza Péter, the great author of the 16th century was living and working in Detrekő when its lord was Balassa István, the son of Menyhárt. Bornemissza used to be the teacher of the greatest Hungarian warrior-poet, Balassa Bálint and had his works printed there. Bornemissza was buried near to Detrekő, in the village of Rárbok.

The Pálffy family was related to the Fuggers and they could get the castle in 1641. They built a more comfortable palace in the village in the Renaissance style. Unfortunately, it cannot be visited now because some kind of office is located there.

The middle part of the castle was built in Gothic style, with a rectangular tower and a palace. In the 16th century, it was extensively rebuilt into a renaissance fortress with low courtyards. It was continually fortified and maintained during the 17th century when new cannon bastions were built.

The Hungarian rebel kuruc troops of Prince Rákóczi took the castle but the Habsburgs took it back in 1707 when General Starhemberg defeated there the army of General Ocskay László. It became dilapidated in the 18th century. There were 27 villages which belonged to the castle of Detrekő.

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