Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians
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On the edge of the village of Dobrá Voda on the forest path passing the mysterious and beautiful Jewish cemetery. Under a pine forest, stands an even more mysterious structure located on a small hill densely covered by the deep forest of the Karst mountain range. The Dobrá Voda Castle, one of the most interesting castles of the Little Carpathians, with the unmistakable atmosphere of a long forgotten place in a quiet forest.
This ancient castle is nowadays just an impressive ruin which belongs to the chain of the so called guarding castles on the Small Carpathian mountain range. A visit to this place, where the soft whisper of the gentle wind whistling through the tall windows is the only thing that breaks the silence, will take your mind back to past centuries preserved in its quiet courtyards and bastions. Stroll through its courtyards, bastions and make your way to the upper courtyard and bask in the majestic view of the Small Carpathians. And when you are soaked in the view, you can sit and peer at the foothills scattered around the courtyards of this magnificent castle. There are multiple fire pits scattered across the grounds allowing visitors to prepare a feast during their visit or, for the braver souls, to spend the night by the castle.
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Nearest Bratislava – 75,2 km
Getting there:Bus to Dobrá Voda
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Top 10 less known castles of Slovakia
The castle of Dobrá Voda was presumably built in the last third of the 13th century by Comes Aba from the Hlohovec branch of the Aba clan, when royal power declined in the Kingdom of Hungary. According to a legend though the castles was constructed by the lover of a local girl who cured the king with water from the local spring. In 1316 Matthew III Csák occupied the Dobrá Voda castle just like other castles in the region. In 1394 the castle was part of the royal donation to duke Stibor of Stiboricz. A group of unsatisfied magnates and prelates wanted to get rid of King Sigismund in 1403. As the castellan of the castle joined the rebellion, the royal army was forced to reconquer the castle.[1]
After 1436 Dobrá Voda castle became property of the Ország family. In the first third of the 16th century the lord of the castle, László Ország, died. His widow remarried with the head of the Nógrád, István Losonci who acquired the ownership rights of the castle through this marriage. In the autumn of 1567 the Ország family died out with the passing of László’s son, Kristóf Ország. King Maximilian pawned the Dobrá Voda castle to the Croat nobleman Ján Choron of Deveč. Another Croat nobleman, Krsto Ungnad, showed interest in obtaining the Dobrá Voda castle. As the husband of István Losonci’s daughter Anna, who inherited the filial rights after her father’s death, he applied his option to the castle. In 1583 he bought the castle with all the corresponding properties for 70 guldens from King Rudolph. Through his daughter Anna Mária, married to the anti-Ottoman wars hero Tamás Erdődy, the castle became in the hands of the Erdődy family.[1]
By the end of the 17th century the Erdődy family already possessed and inhabited many manor houses in various towns. This caused the Dobrá Voda castle to be abandoned. At the beginning of the 18th century the war events during Rákóczi’s War of Independence destroyed the castle. After being hit by a lightning , the castle burned down in 1762. Only a prison for nobility remained in the castle for a certain time.[1]
More on wikipedia
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Pros
– beautifully located in a dense forest
– mysterious atmopshere
– great views
– fireplaces free to use
Cons
– bus connection
– ruin state
– possible crowds during weekend
