• Trenčín Castle

  • Trenčín (view from the Castle)

  • Trenčín Castle

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The reason

Why is Trenčín a Place of Peace

The conflict between the King of Bohemia, John of Luxemburg and Polish King,  Kasimir III had necessarily to end.

The Treaty of Trenčin was concluded on 24th August 1335 between the King Kasimir III  of Poland and the King John of Bohemia as well as his son Charles IV.

This Treaty consecrated the transfer of suzerainty over the former Polish province of Silesia to the Kingdom of Bohemia, integrated the Duchies of Silesia into the Bohemian Crown while King John and his son Charles in turn finaly waived their claims to the Polish trone. The agreement would be confirmed, when the rulers met in the Congress of Visegrad  later in November 1335.

The treaties agreed at the meeting of the three rulers at Trenčin Castle were gradually signed at the following dates : the 3rd September 1335, the  19th November 1335, the 22nd November 1335, the 26th November 1335, the 3rd December  and the 6th January 1336.

Subsequently, the three kings, John of Luxemburg (Czech), Charles Robert (Hungarian)  and Kazimir III (Polish) met in Visegrad on the Danube river, presently in Hungary.

On 3th September 1335 was signed the Czech-Hungarian Alliance Treaty  and the next Alliance Treaty was signed in the next months in Visegrad.

A period of peace and economic prosperity was the main result of the Treaty of Trenčin.

The Treaty of Trenčin, as one part of Triple Alliance Visegrad Negotiations,  aimed also at the unification of trade, taxes and trade routes. So this Triple Alliance was a miniature precursor of the future European Union.

Read more and bibliography: The Treaty of Trenčin (pdf, 636kb)

The XI Century Castle overlooks the city

The dominance of Trenčín and the whole Middle-Váh-Valley (Považie) keeps guard over the old mercantile routes connecting the Mediterranean area with the Baltic and North Europe.

On the locality of today’s castle, during the era of the Great Moravia, there was  a bulwark, serving as a community centre. Contemporary castle was built in the 11th century as a borderland stronghold to protect important Váh fords and Carpathian passes, through which mercantile routes, linked the territory of Northern Hungary and Middle-Slovak mining towns with Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia and Poland. In the centuries that followed,  it became the border settlement, royal and later aristocratic county.

Trenčín, a city full of history.

The Barracks at Trenčín castle were built as a part of a large fortification structure when the castle was owned by the Zápolya family in the 1st part of the 16th century. They served  as accommodation  for the castle’s military crew. They were also used as a storeroom for military  apparatus. This included barrels with gun-powder for cannons, arquebuses, muskets, cold weapons such as halberds, spears and pikes, complete sets or individual parts of armour. The Barracks were used to protect the access road from the town to the castle.

The oldest part of barracks is the western wall, originally linking the Clock Tower with the Upper Castle whose existence  is related to construction activity led by Matthew Csák. This Early Gothic period can be dated at the turn of the 13th and 14th century.

The Late Gothic period from the beginning of the 16th century is already related to the construction of barracks itself. In the first decades of the 16th century there was a two – storied building with today´s size 36 x 10-17 m adjoined to the castle wall. In the past, some authors claimed that barracks had been built as a three-storied building but a recent study could not prove it. The ground floor was accessible via a portal on a northern facade. The Barracks had a terrace roof at that time.

The third construction phase, the Late Gothic II., was based on additional construction of the third storey. This was most likely done after a devastating besiegement of the castle in 1528,  possibly between 1534-1550.

The fourth construction phase was during the Renaissance.  It can be noticed mostly in the details of the building.

Nowadays, the first and second floor are used for exhibitions. On the first floor, there is a permanent exposition called Unconquered. It consists of two parts. The historical part includes medieval and modern cold weapons, firearms or shot-firing arms. The Archeological part is dedicated to the findings from the archeological survey of barracks.

How to arrive

Location

Trenčín is a city in western Slovakia situated close to the Czech border. It lies approximately 120 km from the capital – Bratislava. It is the center of Považie Region.

Trenčín belongs to significant transport intersections with developed transportation infrastructure. The most important transportation connections include:

  • highway D1 (Bratislava – Žilina), distance from the capital is 124 km, an hour by car
  • road E50 – connection to Brno (Czech Republic)
  • railway Bratislava – Košice, part of the international PAN-European corridor Balt – Adria
  • airports – Trenčín – a local military airport, international airports in Bratislava (124 km), Vienna (170 km)
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What to Eat

Discover the delicacies of Trenčín

Food from the Trenčín region is hearty, typical of a country with strong rural roots. It is heavy on meat (especially pork), potatoes, dumplings, thick sauces and cheeses. If you’re looking for vegetables – there’s always cabbage, often in the form of sauerkraut. Salads are not traditional – but you will find them in restaurants in bigger cities. Try soup or a meat/cheese appetizer. Lunch is traditionally the largest meal of the day, with dinner on the lighter side.

The most typical Slovak national food is Bryndzové Halušky with bacon. This is made from potato dough mixed with a special kind of sheep cheese – bryndza – that tastes best in the so called cottages of shepherds or mountain chalets. The dish is topped by fried bacon lardons and some of the fat. Bryndzové halušky is best eaten with buttermilk or acidified milk. Slovakia can boast a remarkable world curiosity. Every year, in the mountain village of Turecká at the foot of the Veľká Fatra mountains, lovers of bryndzové halušky meet at the European championship for cooking and consuming of this dish.

Pirohy (pierogi) are stuffed with all kinds of fillings. There are pierogi filled with meat, mashed potatoes, curd cheese, onions, or even sweet jams. But one kind you will surely find on your travels in Slovakia are bryndzové pirohy, pierogi filled with the special Slovak sheep cheese, bryndza. This cheese is also used to make the Slovak national dish, bryndzové halušky.

Variations of the poppy seed torte are found throughout Central and Eastern Europe.

Things to Do

Be active around Trenčín

  • Unveil the secrets of Trenčín

  • Attend an event at the Jewish Synagogue

  • Discover the art of Trenčín at the Galéria

  • Have a dance at the Pohoda festival

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  • Trenčín Museum exhibits the history of the city through historical, archeological, ethnological and natural presentations. The Trenčín Castle which is a part of Trenčín Museum houses the following exhibitions: the collection of paintings of the Ilešházy family, the exihibitions of the castle well, and the archeological exhibition in the rotunda. To the museum belongs also the exhibition in the Hangman House and the sacral exhibition in the Charnel House of St. Michael in Trenčín .

  • During the reign of Matúš Čák Trenčiansky in the 14th century several jewish families lived here. The boom of the local community started in the 17th century when jewish refugees from Uherský Brod in Moravia (Czech republic) increased considerably. Today the Jewish Synagogue built in 1913 serves for various cultural activities.

  • Miloš Alexander Bazovský Gallery  is located  in  Pseudo-Baroque building  from the turn of the 19th and 20th century. A permanent exhibition shows his works and various Slovak and international exhibitions of contemporary fine arts as well. The gallery also provides art education for children, students and pensioners.

  • Pohoda is an open-air summer music festival in Slovakia, first organized in 1997 in Trenčín. It is the biggest Slovak music event organized annually. The location of this music event is Trenčín Airport. The actual record-high attendance is 33,000 people/day from 2009. Since 2010 the festival capacity is limited to 30,000 visitors.

Where to Stay

Relax after the visit

Penzión Accom

Location
Hurbanová, 44
911 01 Trenčín

Contact Info
Phone: +421 (0)32 744 6641
Mobile:+ 421 (0)905 556 874; + 421 (0)908 664 401
E-Mail: info@penzionaccom.sk
Internet: penzionaccom.sk

Penzión Pod Hradom

Location

Matúšova ul. 12/68
911 01 Trenčín

Contact Info
Phone:  +421 32 748 17 01; +421 32 748 17 00
Fax: +421 32 748 17 03
E-Mail: podhradom@podhradom.sk
Internet: podhradom.sk

Hotel Pod Hradom

Location

Matúšova ul. 12/68
911 01 Trenčín

Contact Info
Phone:  +421 32 748 17 01; +421 32 748 17 00
Fax: +421 32 748 17 03
E-Mail: podhradom@podhradom.sk
Internet: podhradom.sk

Grand Hotel

Location
Palackého 3477
911 01 Trenčín

Contact Info
Phone: +421 32 743 43 53; +421 32 743 43 54
Fax: +421 32 743 43 55
E-Mail: info@grand-hotel.sk
Internet: grand-hotel.sk

Photo Gallery

Discover the images that will make you want to return

Useful Information

Take note of this important piece of data

  • Address

    TREUM OZ
    Dubová 2
    911 01 Trenčín
    Slovakia

  • Phone

    +421 902 911 265

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