Beckov+Castle

Matt Schofield Beckov Castle

The famous Beckov Castle, near the city of Beckov of Western Slovakia, was first built in the midst of the 13th century on the Beckov Cliff, a klippe separated from the Hronic Nappe by the Váh River. It stood to defend the border of the Kingdom of Hungary. It was built in Moravia, which is a West Slavic state. It was claimed under Matthew III Csák in between the 13th and 14th centuries where it was fortified. After the death of Matthew III C sák in 1321, the mighty castle was passed on to Miklós Bánffy in 1371 for his contributions in the war of Italy and Balkans. By 1388 the castle had a new owner by the name of Stibor of Stiboricz. Stibor was the man who made decorating the castle his responsibility, and did a great job of doing so. Additions include a chapel, a statue of the Black Madona/Black Virgin, and a coat of arms chiseled in stone. After death, it was passed onto his son Stibor Stiboric of Beckov, then to his daughter Katarína. Later in 1526, the Kingdom of Hungarian was defeated by the Ottoman Empire, the castle was given to the Bánffy family. After the last heir of the Bánffy family died in 1646, the castle was turned into a prison and barracks, in which it the interior and roofs were burned down by a fire, resulting to its former ruined look. As of 1970, the ruins were declared a national cultural monument. The myth of the creation of the castle is as fake as it is interesting. Legend has it, Becko, Stibor’s personal jester, would accompany the king on hunting journey’s while amusing and keeping him company. The king said that Becko could have anything he desired. He requested a castle to be built on a kippe on the outer limits of the empire by the end of the year. By having everyone that passed by help the progress for a total of eight days, Stibor kept his promise, and Becko got to live in the castle for a year. After noticing that the castle was in a good defensive position, Stibor asked Becko if he would leave the castle. As he said yes, Stibor offered another request, in which Becko wished for his weight in gold and for the castle to be named after himself. After the ceremony of his departure, Becko left to other lands. Along with this legend, comes one even more bizarre. As the noblemen were returning from their hunt, the son of a servant had tried to steal a piece of meat from the dogs that had hunted with the noblemen which became hostile. To defend his son, the servant killed the dog. In reaction to this, Stibor was angry. He then threw the servant off of the terrace into the water below. As he was falling to his doom, the servant said “In a year and a day!”. Disregarding the curse, the great king forgot about it. Nevertheless, a year later, Stibor had gotten drunk and slept on the terrace. While asleep, a snake bit him in his eye. In response to this, Stibor ran and fell of the exact same terrace as had the servant. Today, the ruins are still as they were when they were declared a national cultural monument many years ago. Being only an hour from the capital, Bratislava, it is a popular tourist attraction. The ruins are available to be seen up close for a 3.50 euro fee, or approximately 4.81 USD, which is plenty worth it. The ruins were refurbished from what they looked like in 1970 to what they look like today. The castle has gone through many changes throughout its history, and it is a shame that the castle is not as it was in its prime. Visiting what was once home of Becko the Jester and King Stibor and many more is an opportunity that one should not relinquish.