Old Castle (Starý zámok)

The Old Castle dominates Banská Štiavnica from its hilltop position above the town. What looks like a medieval fortification turns out to be a fortified church — the original Gothic Church of the Assumption was encased in defensive walls and towers in the sixteenth century to protect the population from Ottoman raids, and the resulting structure is unlike anything else in the country.

Today it functions as a branch of the Slovak Mining Museum, with exhibits on the history of the town and region, medieval arms and armor, and the transformation of the church into a fortress. The views from the ramparts take in the rooftops of the old town, the wooded Štiavnica Hills, and — on clear days — the surrounding volcanic landscape. The castle is open to visitors throughout the main tourist season and is one of the two essential visits in the town.

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A story
The Old Castle was not built as a castle at all. It began as the parish church of the Assumption, a Gothic structure from the fifteenth century. When the Ottoman threat reached central Slovakia in the sixteenth century, the townspeople fortified the church — adding towers, ramparts, and a moat — turning a place of worship into a fortified stronghold. The resulting hybrid, half church and half castle, is unique in Slovakia.

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