Słowacka Polska 

Monday - 15 November 2021     Amielii, Idalii, Leopolda     "Życie tylko dla samego siebie jest korozją osobowości". Wiktor Hugo    

Who loses memory, no more knows anything about the future too.
What once was will not come back.
What will follow, can bring back the forgotten.
To do so, one should start an exploratory travel through space and time.

Robert de Jong

Much has been already written about the picturesque location of the Muszyna castle and a magnificent view from that place. These are not empty words, as may become convinced everyone willing to climb a steep path to the ruins. From there, one can enjoy a vast panorama, and when thick fog shrouds the landscape and muffles the sounds of civilization, it takes only a bit of imagination to be carried through time to see high defensive walls erected on bare rocks of Koziejówka, to notice people bustling around the courtyard, and finally to sneak into living compartments and marvel at beautiful tile stoves.

Charming location is not characteristic of Muszyna alone. One could even risk claiming that it is typical of most castles, particularly those in the mountains. Medieval strongholds were erected in carefully selected places. Of course, such places must have been difficult to reach in order to ensure safety, but was it the only criterion? Possessing a castle was a matter of prestige, a prerogative initially limited to the ruler. Therefore, the right to build a stronghold, or later a castle, was highly esteemed. Although sources say nothing about it, one can suppose that the selected places were special, full of elusive magic.

This book aims to introduce the reader to the history of four medieval castles – two situated in Poland: Muszyna and Rytro, and two in Slovakia: Kamenica and Plaveč. Except for the picturesque location, they differ in almost everything – political affiliation, ownership, size and layout. However, they have become connected by the transboundary project “Let’s meet in Muszyna – history and present day” and… by an unfavourable fate. Destroyed in various circumstances, they have not been reconstructed. Abandoned and left alone, they have almost disappeared from the surface of the earth. Today, all except Plavec, are being arduously uncovered by archaeologists and preserved as permanent ruins.

So, let us take a walk through the strongholds.
       
 Muszyna  Rytro  Plaveč  Kamenica

 

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