I wrote this post in English and Slovak language.
Hi,
The weekend is coming and it's time to go on a trip somewhere. This time we agreed with our friends that we will go see Lupča Castle. Currently, this castle serves as a kind of representation of the company Železiarne Podbrezová, to which it now belongs. However, there is also a section dedicated to tourists and the history of this castle.
We fearlessly climb the castle hill and step by step we are closer to the goal. The castle stands proudly on a high hill from which there is a view of the wide area of Horehron. As a policeman, he pays attention to what is happening around him. And quite a lot happened.
The first written mention of the castle dates back to 1250. It was built on the site of an older fortress after the invasion of the Mongols. Monarchs often visited it due to its location on the road to Central Slovak mining towns.
Thanks to the conquests of the nobles, the castle often changed owners. One of the conquering noble families was the Dóczy family, who acquired the castle in 1490. They undertook conquests against their neighbors, illegally collected tolls, and prevented them from building roads. They did not take into account whether they were mining towns or yeomen. In 1517, they invaded Brezno and burned and looted a large part of this city. It wasn't until 1531 that the captain of the Zvolen garrison received an order from Queen Mária Jagelovská to occupy the castle, which he succeeded in doing.
The castle continued to change owners. They rebuilt and restored it.
After the attack of Francis II. Rákoczi in 1703, who was fighting against the Habsburgs, the castle fell to the rebels, who controlled it until 1708, when it was conquered again by the imperial troops. They did not blow up the castle, unlike many other castles that they managed to recapture. The castle served as a prison for them.
The importance of the castle gradually disappeared. The estate began to move into mansions and the castle began to be abandoned. A fire also contributed to its destruction, after which only necessary modifications were made. Only after the arrival of a new owner - Železiarní Podbrezová in 2002, the castle began to be gradually restored to its present form.
For me, castles represent magical places that connect me with history. In the castle, among other things, I was interested in the castle well. It has a depth of 62 meters and hides an escape passage that leads outside the walls. So, in case of danger, the monarchs could escape from the castle to safety without a trace.
I really like to read stories about different castles. Personally, it gives me a slightly different perspective on these amazing monuments. It takes me back to the dark ages. I also read one about Ľupča Castle and I would like to tell you about it.
One more question. Do you believe in ghosts?
A castellan lived happily with his wife at Ľupčian castle. The castle lords conscientiously took care of the castle and enthusiastically planned their future. After some time, a healthy son was born to them, but Mrs. Kastelánska almost died during childbirth. Since then she was weak and often sick. She was unable to fulfill her duties, so she called her cousin for help.
Her cousin Veronka was an orphan from an early age. She was very pretty and cheerful. She brought laughter and good mood to the castle.
When the surrounding estate found out that a pretty young girl was serving at the Ľupčian castle, everyone started flocking there to have fun. Veronka charmed many men and was able to entertain crowds with her cheerful nature. Many of them wanted to marry her, but she refused all suitors.
She fell in love with the castellan. He returned her sinful love and stopped caring about his sick wife. Kastelánka noticed how the two understood each other and suspected that there was something more behind it. But a weak and sickly woman could not compete with a younger and more beautiful woman.
The lady of the castle returned to the castle and immediately noticed that something was wrong. She and the castelánka had been friends since they were young, and it bothered her that the castelánka was sad and devastated. One evening while walking in the garden, she heard familiar voices from behind the bush. Veronka urged the castellan to kill his wife. He did not like this idea and dissuaded the young girl from such thoughts.
The lady of the castle got angry and decided to take action. The castle guards imprisoned Veronka in the castle tower on the order of the castle lady. There, after some time, she went crazy from solitude and jumped into the castle moat. It is said that she walks around the castle on moonlit nights, crying and looking for her lover.
Well thank you.
Po Slovensky
Ahoj,
Prichádza víkend a to je čas ísť niekde na výlet. Tento krát sme sa dohodli s kamarátmi, že sa pôjdeme pozrieť na hrad Lupča. V súčasnosti tento hrad slúži na akúsi reprezentáciu firmy Železiarne Podbrezová, ktorej teraz patrí. Nachádza sa tu však aj časť venovaná turistom a histórii tohto hradu.
Neohrozene stúpame hradným kopcom a krok za krokom sme bližšie k cieľu. Hrad sa hrdo týči na vysokom kopci z ktorého je výhľad na široké okolie Horehronia. Ako strážnik dáva pozor, čo sa deje vôkol neho. A udialo sa toho teda dosť.
Prvá písomná zmienka o hrade pochádza z roku 1250. Vznikol na mieste staršieho hradiska po vpáde Mongolov. Panovníci ho často navštevovali pre jeho polohu na ceste k stredoslovenským banským mestám.
Vďaka výbojom šľachticov hrad často menil majiteľov. Jedným z výbojných šľachtických rodov bol rod Dóczyovcov, ktorí získali hrad do vlastníctva v roku 1490. Podnikali výboje voči svojim susedom, nezákonne vyberali mýto, bránili im vo výstavbe ciest. Nebrali ohľad či šlo o banské mestá alebo zemanov. V roku 1517 vpadli do Brezna a z veľkej časti toto mesto vypálili a vyrabovali. Až v roku 1531 dostal kapitán zvolenskej posádky rozkaz od kráľovnej Márii Jagelovskej obsadiť hrad, čo sa mu aj podarilo.
Hrad aj naďalej striedal majiteľov. Tí ho prestavovali a obnovovali.
Po útoku Františka II. Rákocziho v roku 1703, bojujúcemu proti Habsburgovcom, pripadol hrad povstalcom, ktorí ho kontrolovali do roku 1708, kedy ho opäť dobyli cisárske vojská. Tie hrad na rozdiel od množstva ďalších hradov, ktoré sa im podarilo dobyť späť nevyhodili do vzduchu. Hrad im slúžil ako väzenie.
Význam hradu postupne zanikal. Panstvo sa začalo sťahovať do kaštieľov a hrad začal pustnúť. Jeho skaze prispel aj požiar, po ktorom boli prevedené len nutné úpravy. Až po príchode nového majiteľa – Železiarní Podbrezová v roku 2002 sa hrad začal postupne obnovovať do dnešnej podoby.
Hrady pre mňa predstavujú čarovné miesta, ktoré ma spájajú s históriou. Na hrade ma okrem iného zaujala hradná studňa. Tá má hĺbku 62 metrov a a skrýva v sebe únikovú chodbu ktorá vedie mimo hradby. Takže sa panovníkom v prípade nebezpečenstva mohlo podariť bez stopy z hradu ujsť do bezpečia.
Veľmi rád si čítam povesti o rôznych hradoch. Osobne mi to dáva tak trochu iný pohľad na tieto úžasné pamiatky. Vtrhuje ma to do temného stredoveku. Čítal som si jednu aj o hrade Ľupča a chcel by som vám ju prerozprávať.
Ešte jedna otázka. Veríte na duchov?
Na Ľupčianskom hrade si spokojne žil kastelán so svojou manželkou. O hrad sa hradným pánom svedomito starali a s nadšením plánovali svoju budúcnosť. Po čase sa im narodil zdravý synček, no pani kastelánska pri pôrode skoro zomrela. Odvtedy bola slabá a často chorá. Nevládala si plniť svoje povinnosti a tak si na pomoc zavolala svoju sesternicu.
Jej sesternica Veronka bola od malička sirota. Bola veľmi pekná a veselá. Na hrad priniesla smiech a dobrú náladu.
Keď sa okolité panstvo dozvedelo o tom že na Ľupčianskom hrade slúži pekné mladé dievča, začali sa tam všetci hrnúť za zábavou. Veronka mnohých mužov očarila a svojou veselou povahou dokázala zabávať davy. Mnohý z nich si ju chceli vziať za ženu, no ona všetkých nápadníkov odmietala.
Zaľúbila sa totiž do kastelána. On jej hriešnu lásku opätoval a o svoju chorľavú ženu sa prestal zaujímať. Kastelánka si všimla ako si tí dvaja rozumejú a tušila že je za tým niečo viac. No slabá a chorľavá žena nemohla súperiť s mladšou a krajšou sokyňou.
Na hrad sa vrátila hradná pani a okamžite si všimla že niečo nie je v poriadku. S kastelánkou boli kamarátky od mladosti a trápilo ju, že je kastelánka smutná a zničená. Jeden večer pri prechádzke po záhrade začula spoza kríku známe hlasy. Veronka naliehala na kastelána aby svoju ženu zabil. Jemu sa tento nápad nepáčil a odhováral mladé dievča od takýchto myšlienok.
Hradná pani sa nahnevala a rozhodla sa konať. Hradné stráže Veronku na príkaz hradnej pani uväznili do hradnej veži. Tam sa po čase zo samoty zbláznila a skočila do hradnej priekopy. Hovorí sa, že za mesačných nocí chodí okolo hradu, plače a hľadá svojho milého.
Ďakujem.