above: Spiš Castle (Spišský
Hrad)
Since the break up of Czechslovakia in 1993, Slovakia fell
behind its western neighbor in both economics and tourism. However, there are
still plenty of things to see and do and Slovakia’s economy is booming
with the planned adoption of the Euro to replace the Slovak kroner in 2009.
Slovakia is a land of fairytale castles, with about 180 castles scattered
across the country. The most impressive of these castles is probably Spiš
Castle (aka Spišský Hrad), located in the northeast of the country.
Spiš Castle is located in the northeast of the country, overlooking the
town Spišské Podhradie and is one of the largest castles in central
Europe. The of and from the castle are mesmerizing and fans of movies such as
Dragonheart, Kull the Conquerer or the Last Legion will easily recognize
Spiš Castle as they were all filmed here.
I arrived to Slovakia by
nighttrain from Krakow to Košice, Slovakia’s second largest city
after Bratislavia. I didn’t stay long however and soon made my way up to
the walled-town of Levoca, a stoppover en route to Spiš Castle. After
spending the day at both Levoèa Spiš, I made my way west to
Bojnice, located in the heart of the country. Bojnice is no more than a small
town located in the outscirts of the city of Prievidza. However, it’s
famous for… yep, you guessed it, a castle… located right in the
center of town. After overnighting in Bojnice, I made my way to Bratislavia,
Slovakia’s capital and largest city. Lively Bratislavia is located on the
Danube River with both neighbouring countries Hungary and Austria just a stones
throw away. Bratislavia was in fact the last leg of my journey with nearby
Vienna airport (where I was due to fly out of) not even an hours bus ride away.
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below: Bratislavia
Castle
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