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libors115
With it's inuque history is one of the most interesting castles in Slovakia. Castle has very interesting expositions and is really worth to see it ;-) Highly recommended.
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veronikah184
Me and my husband visited this castle while being in Zamagurie. East-northern part of Slovakia. The castle and its exhibit was very interactive. I liked it. The caste has beautiful view. There is open air museum close to the castle. Worth visiting. It gives you a picture of life in that area in previous times. I recommend visiting this area.
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AvantiPopolo
this is certainly a great place to visit and learn about the life of local aristocracy in a span of several hundred years. however, our very positive experience was somewhat marred by the fact, that local politics contaminated exhibition in the newly renovated renaissance building. in the middle of the exposition about how the bear was made here during the 18 century there was a marble block thanking slovakian prime minister fico for donating money for reconstruction of the building.now, why a foreign tourist should be bother by a politics during exposition on bear making is beyond my understanding, moreover if these were (how it was explained to me) a public money, not private ones. so clearly, before elections the politician decided to give some public money and somebody with the power over the castle museum decided to give him a payback and thanked him not by function "prime minister", but by name "fico" even so he was not a private donor. which is completely unethical, not to mention annoying.when i see renaissance expositions, i do not want to get involved in 21. century politics - especially when it seems so insignificant on the background of this otherwise very well prepared museum. i am writing this with the hope, that more people will complain and the politics will be de-coupled from the exhibit, the marble block removed or the wording changed, so that foreign or even local visitors are not bothered by power fights of local politicians.
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BklynBorn47
I’ve visited Stara Lubovna castle twice before. Each time we were impressed with the additional restoration and explanatory exhibits. This time we brought our daughter and family to see it and once again there was even more to enjoy.The explanation of the history is well done in several languages, including English. Over hundreds of years the land was controlled by Austria, Hungary and Poland although much of the surrounding population was Slovak and Rusyn (Ruthenian).It’s a self guided tour unless you are part of a group. We liked this arrangement since we were able to spend as much time as we wanted in each area – the family rooms, the great hall, the tower, the artillery, the chapel, the underground chambers and the view of the surrounding countryside.There was armor set out which the children were allowed to try on. Great photos! A demonstration of trained birds of prey was very well done. This year there were benches set up so people could rest during the program.This castle is of special interest to me since my grandmother’s village (Sambron), which she left in 1900, is only a few kilometers away. However, we have visited dozens of castles throughout Europe, including the very well known ones and I believe this site is well worth the visit even without the family heritage connection.I suggest continuing your visit in the “Skanzen”(open air museum) below to learn about the lives of the people in the villages. Here 19th and early 20th century buildings have been gathered from around the country. The wooden Greek (Byzantine) Catholic Church with its icons is amazing. The school, homes, workshops, & farm buildings are very well organized on the map and each building has additional information in several languages, including English. Since our last visit we have observed many additions and improvements. There was a large photoboard with a life-size picture of a family as they appeared 100 years ago. The young girl in the picture looked surprisingly like our 12 year old granddaughter. A definite Slovak gene is at work here. This area was the source of tremendous immigration to the USA especially to northeastern PA, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Cleveland. English is not commonly spoken in this part of the country, but they have made a great effort to accommodate us. Initially, we were greeted by a volunteer who spoke English, explained the first stop on the map (the church) and helpfully answered our questions.There were several stands of lovely crafts and local foods at excellent prices. We bought wood carvings and gingerbread. The volunteers were so friendly and patient with my “broken Slovak.” Their love of preserving their heritage is obvious. I recommend this site to anyone interested in history and especially anyone whose ancestors immigrated from this region.After our tour, we ate in the restaurant. The food was good and the prices were reasonable.Once you have explored the lives of the noble and peasant classes, don’t miss the exhibit of the lives of the middle class in the museum on the main square of the town. The tour is conducted by Maya who speaks excellent English. This house of a craftsman contains furniture of the period including a working pump organ and manikins in period clothing. In addition to her explanation of the exhibits, Maya told us many entertaining tales and legends of the area.We made souvenirs with the antique coin press, learned about the process of producing patterned cloth and observed a demonstration of how paper was once made by hand.All three sites together create a wonderful window into history.
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PiotrW883
pretty nice castle located on the hill wih perfect view on Tatry. The village museum is located in front of the castle with several XVIII-XX century houses and homesteads. They represent very nice inspection on Polish-Slovak-Hungarian mixture. The trip to castle is well prepared, however disabled people can have some problems. Museum is located within different parts of castle and each contain different stuff for examination.Reserve at least 3-4 hours for all. Take some water with you. Drinks and some food may be purchased at the parking before the trip.
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TomBodnar
When you are in Zamagurie part of North Slovakia. Visit the Castel in Stara Lubovna. It's a must. The visit will pay off. You will see not only the Castel, but you can visit old houses.
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Tsvet73
Visited the castle for a few hours and it was well worth it. The history of this area is remarkable, but will not give it away. I will only say that one can see the ancient way of beer making. Plan to grab a bite at the restaurant too
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karmel77
The castle Stara Lubovna is well preserved. The restoration has been very well done. It's impressive structure with a lot of history. The view from a tower is spectacular. Below the castle is a "Skanzem" with actual wooden houses, schoolhouse, wooden church and work building. This village creates the model of actual life of the villagers at that period of time. The exhibits are provided in several languages including English.
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BklynBorn47
In Stara Lubovna you can see how 3 classes of people once lived, all in close proximity to one another. Nobles occupied this castle until 1945. Its impressive structure, location and history should not be missed. Restoration has been very well done and explanations of the exhibits are provided in several languages including English. Our guide gave explanations in both Slovak and English. There was also an impressive demonstration of falconry. The view of the surrounding countryside is amazing. You immediately understand why this place was chosen for a fortification. Below the castle is a “Skanzen” where actual 100 year old buildings have been relocated from villages to create a model of life at that time. It includes a wooden church, homes and work buildings and a schoolhouse. In the town is a museum in a “Burger’s House” where you can see the life of the middle class. The guide there was very enthusiastic about her subject and spoke excellent English.We have toured castles throughout Europe. This one is unique.
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Bobleponge216
A fantastic place to visit, cheap to get in, a full morning or afternoon for your money. Good historical anecdotes all over the castle in English for me and French for my girlfriend.This castle had gone to ruin after WW2 when the last owners moved out, it had squatters inside and was falling down until an EU funded project costing over 1 million euro's was launched to restore it. The work is still ongoing in places, but the work done has truly made this a place to visit.Its easy to find, its signposted from the main road (I speak no Slovakian and found it with no problems at all) there are guides that speak English and the whole visit is structured by following the well laid out plan that you are given on arrival.Our visit coincided with a falcon display that lasted about half an hour, I am led to believe there are other displays of varying types during the day.In all honesty I would have to say the castle isnt ideal for someone in a wheelchair or who has difficulty walking, but there aren't many castles that could be adapted I wouldnt have thought.Really enjoyed spending over three hours wandering round, and the view from the top of the tower is impressive.
