Top 10 Castles in Chránená Krajinná Oblasť Malé Karpaty

The Ranogien Castle was built after the Tatar invasion of 1241/42 by the local counts of Sveti Jur and Pezinok, the Hunt-Poznanovci. The castle, first documented in 1271, gradually took over the settlement and guard function of the Great Moravian castle (fortress) on the opposite side of the valley and became the center of a growing estate. It was part of the Little Carpathians system. After a reconstruction in the 14th century, the castle consisted of an inner and an outer part. The entrance led over a drawbridge across a dry moat that surrounded the castle along with a rampart. The inner castle comprised palace buildings with two residential buildings, one of which served as a prison. In addition to the living quarters for the count's household, the palace housed a tavern, chambers, cellars, kitchens, and a bakery. The outer castle had three towers, including a water tower. The fresh water supply was provided by a system of ceramic pipes and a cistern. The castle also had a bailey enclosed by defensive walls. The remains of the vaults date from the time of the Renaissance reconstruction. With the construction of the manor house by Katarína Pálffyová and her husband Štefan Illésházy, the successors of the counts of Svätý Jur and Pezinok, in 1609, the seat of the estate was permanently moved to the town. As a result, the castle lost its original function and gradually fell into disrepair. During the Turkish uprising, it offered refuge and temporary accommodation to the surrounding population. After the devastating attack by the Turks in 1663, it finally fell into ruin. In 2002, Biely Kamen Castle was declared a national cultural monument. The finds from the excavation site can be visited at the Museum of Literature and Local History in Svätý Jur – a branch of the Museum of the Little Carpathians in Pezinky. Did you know that Biely Kamen Castle was located on an important trade route from Bratislava to Trnava? It also controlled the mountain road to Stupava and Lozorno.

The ruin is currently being renovated with extensive voluntary work by a citizens' initiative. Since 2021, the citizens' association Castrum Sancti Georgii has been committed to the preservation of the castle ruins. Volunteers cleared the walls of ivy and overgrown trees, built access paths, benches for visitors, and stairs for greater safety. They cleaned the impressive vaulted room measuring 17 x 6.5 m. The association had the ruin geodetically surveyed and a 3D model of the castle created. Subsequently, a static assessment of the individual objects and an architectural-historical study of the monument were carried out. Based on the developed restoration concept, the association began the renovation of the most endangered parts of the castle. First, the half-destroyed, dominant western defensive tower was restored. You can follow the progress of the restoration on the website www.hradbielykamen.sk. You can support the work of the citizens' association Castrum Sancti Georgii in restoring the castle with a voluntary donation.

Challenging climb to arrive to that castle. Nice gravel road until there. The path from here leads inside the forest in a single track.

You should definitely go up there if you are nearby. It is best to go up the road from Cachtice and then down some of the single trails.

Starting from Borinka near the church, Ballenstein Castle can be easily reached in about half an hour with a few meters in altitude. The climb is worth it. The ruin is completely accessible and you have a great view from there.

Beautiful landscape from an old castle, the hike to reach this place is pretty good too!

These ruins are in quite good shape. Walking around is possible. The paths create a maze inside of the ruins which is exciting and at the same time confusing.

Pajštún Castle is a ruined medieval castle. It is located on the western edge of the Little Carpathians. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paj%C5%A1t%C3%BAn_Castle Very nice place with awesome view. During nice sunny weather you can see even Devin TV tower in Bratislava. Took us only 50 min from Borinka.