Trenčín Castle was built on the site of an older settlement that existed here from the Bronze Age through the Celts and Germans to the Slavic settlement. At the time of the establishment of the Hungarian state, the older Great Moravian fortified settlement became a county royal castle. The oldest stone building of the castle is a pre-Romanesque rotunda, probably from the Great Moravian period. At the end of the 11th century, a stone refuge tower (donjon, bergfrid) was built, after 1270 it was added and expanded with a Gothic brick cladding. With its conical convergence towards the top, it forms a unique element of castle architecture in Slovakia. It is the center of the castle acropolis and the most distinctive visual dominant of the city panorama. Individual castle palaces were built in its immediate vicinity. Their construction was related to the expansion of the castle’s function from primarily defensive to administrative, administrative and residential. The oldest palace was probably Matthew’s Palace from the beginning of the 14th century, of which, however, only one wall has been preserved, which today forms part of Barbora’s Palace. It was the seat of Matúš Čák Trenčianský (around 1260 – 1321), who made it his residence castle and the center of extensive estates, the so-called “Matthew’s Land” or Terra Mathei. This, at that time the most powerful Hungarian magnate, controlled almost the whole of today’s Slovakia and a significant part of Transdanubia. He owned almost 50 castles and several counties. He not only seized the property of his weaker aristocratic opponents, but also plundered the royal dominion. He did not spare church property either, which even twice earned him a church curse and the declaration of an interdict (prohibition of the administration of the sacraments) over his property. He is said to have minted his own coins in Trenčín , but none have been found. And so it is probably just a slander of his many enemies. Matthew’s death on March 18, 1321 not only meant the immediate disintegration of his “kingdom”, but became the basis of several legends and legends. Since no one ever found his grave, it became a popular destination for various romantics, adventurers, treasure hunters and serious historians. Legend has it that he was buried in a tin, silver and gold chest with huge treasures. However, it is somewhat suspiciously reminiscent of the legend of the death of the “Scourge of God”, the Hun king Attila. Trenčín Castle returned to the property of the Hungarian crown, i.e. King Charles.

The Gothic Louis Palace, the construction of which is attributed to the son of Karol Róbert Louis, also called the Holy or the Great, is reminiscent of the Anjuv period. The Trenčín Museum has prepared an exhibition of cold and firearms from the 13th to 19th centuries. We can find Gothic swords, sabers and clubs, or parts of late Gothic armour. Firearms include flint and percussion rifles and pistols, Prussian “needle guns”, richly decorated hunting rifles, as well as oriental weapons, yatagans, handjars and rifles.

The Gothic style with early Renaissance elements is also represented by Barbora’s Palace, which is said to have been built by Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg for his second wife Barbora of Cell, at a time when the Trenčín estate belonged to Barbora’s dowry estates. The last, third palace at Trenčín Castle is the Zápoľský Palace, dating from the period of the dominion of the powerful Zápoľský family. It was probably built in the late Gothic style with elements of the early Renaissance by Štefan Zápoľský and his wife Hedwig, Princess of Tešín. Their son, the later Hungarian king Ján Zápoľský, lost the castle thanks to the Habsburg duke Johan Katzianer, whose troops besieged the castle in May 1528. After cannon shelling, which caused the explosion of the castle powder house and after it was obvious that Zápoľský could not help the castle, the garrison surrendered the castle on June 15 for personal safety and honorable departure . In the Zápoľský Palace, the Trenčín Museum placed a set of paintings from the Ilešházi collection, which is one of the most comprehensive aristocratic art collections in Slovakia. However, its artistic and  historical significance goes beyond the borders of Slovakia and belongs to the cultural wealth of united Europe. Almost a hundred exhibited paintings represent several artistic styles and genres, from the late Renaissance, through Baroque to Romanticism. In addition to an important portrait component, it includes landscape work, still lifes, hunting motifs, marinas, battles and sacral paintings. Names such as J. K. Hoffstedtter, Daniel Schmidelli, Jean Luicxs and Daniel Michorn belong to the most important personalities of painting of their time.

The Zápoľsk family decided to solve the problem of the only vulnerable point of the castle, the long saddle of Brezina connected to the castle rock from the south side. All attacks on the castle fortifications were and could only be led from here. The new Southern Fortification cut the saddle with two dry ditches and three fortification zones with loopholes and pitch noses. At that time, the already obsolete Gothic system was strengthened by two artillery bastions of the new Renaissance roundel type, Jeremiah’s Bastion and the Mill Tower, located in the central axis of the defense. From an architectural point of view, it is a unique fortification system, unique in Central Europe. No less unique building from this period is the building of the barracks for the castle garrison, next to the second castle gate. The reign of Štefan Zápoľský also gave birth to one of the oldest and most beautiful Slovak legends about the Well of Love.

However, Trenčín Castle did not only experience war and violence. It hosted crowned heads from almost all over Europe within its walls. Its convenient location near the borders of the three kingdoms predestined it as a place for diplomatic meetings and meetings. On August 24, 1335, the Polish King Casimir, the Hungarian King Charles Robert with his son Louis and the Czech King John of Luxembourg, accompanied by his son Charles, met at Trenčín Castle for peace negotiations. The Czech monarch renounced the title of King of Poland, for which he kept the Piast  Duchy in Silesia. In 1362, peace negotiations between Louis the Great and the Roman Emperor Charles IV took place here again. Both rulers resolved their disputes over Aquilea here. Peace was concluded two years later. On this occasion, both monarchs, as was customary, exchanged lavish gifts. King Louis received a gilded Gothic monstrance from Charles , which is still part of the temple treasure of the Parish Church in Trenčín, and he himself presented the emperor with a crystal kettle, which is now stored in the Cathedral Church of St. Vitus in Prague. Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg and later King Matthias Corvinus used Trenčín Castle in a similar way. However, the walls of Trenčín Castle also welcomed guests who visited it for a more joyful purpose.  In 1461, the already mentioned King Matthias with his mother Elisabeth expected his fiancée, daughter George of Poděbrady, Czech princess Catherine (Kunhuta), and in 1512 the engagement of the daughter of Štefan Zápoľský with the Polish king Sigismund took place at the castle. (The diplomatic traditions of Trenčín Castle have not been forgotten.  On 24-25 May 2002, a summit of prime ministers and ministers of foreign affairs of the Visegrad Four and Benelux countries was held here, and in 2004 a visit of participants of the  parliamentary meeting of NATO countries took place at the castle.)

From the 15th century, the originally royal castle gradually fell into the hands of aristocratic owners, either by lien or purchase. Among the most important were the Thurzo family, the Forgáč family, the Tyrolean count Pirrhus of Arc, the royal tavern owner  Juraj Zrínsky, Ladislav Popel Jr. of Lobkovice, the Rákoci family and several others had an ownership share here.

In the middle of the 15th century, the Hungarian palatine Alexius Thurzo had the Renaissance Cannon Bastion built in the northern corner of the lower courtyard, which protected the Upper “Water” City Gate with a bridge with its cannons. Today it serves as an exhibition hall of the Trenčín Museum.

From 1548, repairs were carried out at the same time as the castle, damaged by Katzianer’s troops. Count Imrich Forgáč invited Italian and German stonemasons and masons to the castle to repair and improve it. The work took place in the years 1583 – 92 and resulted in, for example, the construction of the barbican of the First Gate  with two cylindrical bastions, or the visual unification of the castle palaces with Renaissance arched attics.

In 1594, Štefan Ilešházi obtained a lien on Trenčín Castle and bought it in 1600. He thus laid the foundation for the power and glory of one of the most powerful magnate families of Hungary, the hereditary counties of the Trenčín and Liptov counties. Although   the Ilešházi family did not build any more important buildings in the castle, they completed the reconstruction, which was started by Forgáč. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the designed modifications in the spirit of the Baroque fortification system were no longer implemented for the most part.

The invasion of the Turks on Považie in 1663 initiated the last strengthening of the castle’s defense. The southern fortification was reinforced with a Baroque star bastion element, completed in 1673, but it has not been preserved. Subsequently, the emperor placed his own garrison in the castle in the strength of about 400 men. As a result, the Ilešházi family finally moved to their new castle in Dubnica nad Váhom. On this occasion, in 1678, they ordered their provisor to write down a detailed inventory of the castle furniture and supplies. This document, written in Slovak, informs us in detail not only about the equipment of the castle and the equipment of the kitchen, craft workshops, but also about the state of food,  armour and armament stocks. It also provides the first historical information about the Ilešházi picture collection and  the documentary archive.

At the end of the 18th century, Trenčín Castle definitively lost its military significance and subsequently, in 1783, the imperial military garrison left . A huge fire on June 11, 1790, which almost destroyed the city, also affected the castle in a devastating way . The last member of the famous family, Stephen II. Ilešházi sold the Trenčín estate and  the castle in 1834 to the nobilized banker Count Georg Sin. The last owner, Iphigenia De Castris D ́Harcourt, donated the castle to the city of Trenčín in 1905.

The first repairs of the dilapidated ruins began in 1912, but systematic reconstruction has been underway since 1956 to this day.

Trenčín Castle saw under its walls the enemy armies of the Czech and Polish kings, the Tatar hordes, Bočkai’s and Bethlen’s outlaws, the imperial landsknechts, the Janissaries and bashibozuks of the Turkish sultan, the Tatars  of the Crimean khan, the companies of the duke of Saxony, the Kurucs and the Labans. However, it was never conquered by direct attack.

In the past, the hammam served as a bath for wealthy nobility and financial tycoons. Today, it is available not only to spa guests, but also to the general public. Guests in the spa use it as a relaxation room and a place to serve massages. Its pleasant environment, beauty and exoticism of the interior can charge the exhausted body with new energy, and thus multiply the positive effects of the unique healing springs.

History
This important building began at the moment when the then owner of the spa – Iphigenia de Castries d’Harcourt, saw a model of a luxurious Turkish bath at the World Exhibition in Paris. She was enchanted by it. Therefore, she traveled to Egypt and asked Viceroy Izmail for permission to build a Hammam in Trenčianske Teplice as well. Izmail complied with her request and sent his court architect with her to Trenčianske Teplice. The Hammam, which means bath in Arabic, was completed in 1888 and this building had no analogue in Europe until then.

Architecture
The first thing that surprises the visitor right at the entrance is the lighting of the Hammam hall from three domes with glazed openings, which creates the impression of a starry sky. On the walls, the architect Schmoranz arranged two colorful rosettes modeled on church rosettes. Each part of the railing on the gallery is carved from a single piece of stone, in the middle of the hall there is a marble fountain. Strips of arabesques wind into three domes that form the vault of the entire building. Two rows of columns carved from fine sandstone separate the hall of the Hammam from the rest cabins, inlaid with decorative tiles, on every other cabin there is a monogram of Iphigenia de Castries.

Today, the Hammam serves as a rest for spa guests after the bath and massages are also provided here. It is accessible to everyone, both as a place for providing spa treatments and as an interesting historical monument. All those who have recovered and will recover, in the Trenčín-Teplice Hammam, can recall the well-known quote: “There is greater happiness than to be healthy, and that is – to be healed”

Stop  at the largest military clash in Bohemia and Moravia in the 19th century in the exhibition of the Museum of the War of 1866, complete with examples of armament and equipment of the Austrian and Prussian armies. Visit the area of the historic battlefield with hundreds of artistically rendered monuments and memorials.

Northwest of Hradec Králové, on the Chlum hill, a Prussian-Austrian battle was fought on July 3, 1866. Almost immediately after the end of the war, the construction of numerous monuments and memorials of the battle began and comprehensive care for them developed.

In 1936, a war museum was built in the central area of the battlefield, which until 2008 housed an exhibition of armament and equipment of all armies participating in this second largest military battle of the 19th century. Between 2008 and 2010, a new part of the museum was added. In 2011, a part of the original museum, where a multimedia hall is currently located, was also repaired from the ROP NUTS II. Northeast, where the multimedia hall is currently located. On 31.3.2012, a new exhibition of the Museum of the War of 1866 in Chlum was opened.

The area of the battlefield of the Battle of 1866 near Hradec Králové, declared in 1997, includes an area where more than four hundred monuments, individual graves and mass burial sites are located, the most important of which are accessible by marked hiking and cycling routes and by special nature trails (Svíb and Chlum). Since 1999, the observation tower has offered the possibility of a perfect view of the entire central area of the battlefield. Every year, on the anniversary days of the battle, commemorative and commemorative events are held in the area of the monument zone.

Stop  at the largest military clash in Bohemia and Moravia in the 19th century in the exhibition of the Museum of the War of 1866, complete with examples of armament and equipment of the Austrian and Prussian armies. Visit the area of the historic battlefield with hundreds of artistically rendered monuments and memorials.

Northwest of Hradec Králové, on the Chlum hill, a Prussian-Austrian battle was fought on July 3, 1866. Almost immediately after the end of the war, the construction of numerous monuments and memorials of the battle began and comprehensive care for them developed.

In 1936, a war museum was built in the central area of the battlefield, which until 2008 housed an exhibition of armament and equipment of all armies participating in this second largest military battle of the 19th century. Between 2008 and 2010, a new part of the museum was added. In 2011, a part of the original museum, where a multimedia hall is currently located, was also repaired from the ROP NUTS II. Northeast, where the multimedia hall is currently located. On 31.3.2012, a new exhibition of the Museum of the War of 1866 in Chlum was opened.

The area of the battlefield of the Battle of 1866 near Hradec Králové, declared in 1997, includes an area where more than four hundred monuments, individual graves and mass burial sites are located, the most important of which are accessible by marked hiking and cycling routes and by special nature trails (Svíb and Chlum). Since 1999, the observation tower has offered the possibility of a perfect view of the entire central area of the battlefield. Every year, on the anniversary days of the battle, commemorative and commemorative events are held in the area of the monument zone.

Each racetrack has its own atmosphere. It is unbeatable and quite specific in Pardubice, where one of the most difficult obstacle races on the European continent is run – the Great Pardubice Steeplechase

Various publications used to say that the Great Pardubice Steeplechase is the most difficult obstacle race on the continent. In a certain sense, it will certainly be so, in any case, it is a race with a long tradition, the history of which is more than interesting, a race that has its own specifics and charm, a race that is a highlight not only for Czech riders who dream if not of victory, then at least of participation in it.    After all, when the football league started, the Great Race had already had about fifty years behind it.

The Great Pardubice Race was run for the first time in 1874. But several decades before that, races were held in Pardubice and the surrounding localities. Pardubice knew the whole racing world from the beginning, after all, a number of trainers and jockeys from the cradle of turf, from England, worked in Central Europe. The racetrack in the place where it is run today was founded in 1856. The racecourse has had its present form since the first post-war years. In the past, people ran all the way to Popkovice and also ran behind the stands, in the area where the parking lot is now. After the end of World War II, a military airport was established here and some land was occupied by the army.

The Priessnitz Spa is located in a beautiful place full of magical power, on the slope of the easternmost tip of the Rychlebské Mountains about 2 km from the town of Jeseník at an average altitude of 620 m above sea level. The natural conditions offer an extremely favorable climate, from the north come the air currents of the Baltic Sea full of iodine and sea salt. From the south, west and east, the place is protected from exhalations by the mountains of the Hrubý Jeseník Mountains, the Rychlebské Mountains and the Zlatohorská Highlands. Thanks to this location, Priessnitz Spa is located in the cleanest environment in all of continental Europe, far from heavy industry, transit traffic and intensive agricultural production. Analyses have shown the presence of negatively charged ionic particles in the air, which significantly reduce the level of allergens in the air , as well as the presence of some trace elements necessary for the proper development and function of the body. Health, energy and vitality breathe from every place, from every tree, which is also transmitted to our guests during the first few days. Not only for this reason, the spa is suitable for the treatment of diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tract, blood circulation, nervous system and vegetative nerves of children and adults, as well as for regenerative and strengthening stays. Favorable climatic conditions allow patients to be treated at any time of the year.

The town of Janské Lázně is located in the Trutnov District, Hradec Králové Region . Less than 800 inhabitants live here.

Janské Lázně is a world-famous spa town and at the same time the second best-rated ski resort in the Czech Republic.

It is the only spa on the Czech side of the Giant Mountains. In nearby Poland-Lower Silesia, there are 12 spa towns for comparison.

A quiet town with an unusual history is located at the foot of Černá hora (1299 m above sea level), to the top of which a cable car leads directly from the town. Thanks to the newly built cable cars, lifts and cross-country ski trails, the town has become a top sports and recreational center and an ideal starting point for the highest Czech mountains of the Giant Mountains both in winter for skiers and in summer for cyclists and hikers.

HISTORY

The first written mention of the village dates back to 1552.

According to the 16th-century Trutnov chronicler Simon Hüttel , the hot spring in today’s Janské Lázně was discovered as early as 1999 .1006Jan of Chočkov, the armourer of the knight Albrecht of Trautenberg, after whom it was also named as John’s Spring. However, it is more likely that the spring was discovered in the 11th century by prospectors who were looking for new deposits of ores and precious metals.

The first historical record dates back to 1300 and is contained in the land records of the property of the Silberstein family. Another interesting mention of Janské Lázně was recorded in the travelogues of the papal legate Aeneas Silvius, later Pope Pius II, who bathed in the warm spring during his travels in Bohemia in 1451 .

The Renaissance White Tower is the highest landmark of the city (72 m), from whose gallery visitors have a unique view not only of Hradec Králové, but also of the distant peaks of the Giant Mountains and the Eagle Mountains. In its bowels, it hides the third largest bell in the Czech Republic, Augustin, the original clockwork of Josef Božek, and thanks to the generous reconstruction carried out by the city of Hradec Králové in 2014 and 2015, a unique glass model of the tower and modern audiovisual technology, which brings a plethora of opportunities for entertainment and education when climbing the tower.

The Park Colonnade, designed by the Viennese architects Fellner and Helmer, served as a promenade of the Blansko Pavilion at the end of the 19th century. The pavilion was demolished in the sixties of the 20th century, but the cast-iron colonnade, fortunately, still stands today. This is mainly due to the complete reconstruction in 2002.

Although the colonnade, as we know it today, is only a fraction of the original building from 1880, it is still an important monument to the cast-iron spa architecture of the 19th century. It is a decoration not only of the adjacent Dvořák Park, but also of the entire Karlovy Vary spa zone.

Directly under the roof of the Park Colonnade or in its vicinity you will find three healing springs.