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The Krásna Hôrka Castle (Slovak: Hrad Krásna Hôrka) is a castle in Slovakia, built on a hilltop overlooking the village of Krásnohorské Podhradie near Rožňava, in Košice Region.
The first recorded mention of the castle was in 1333. In 1961 Krásna Hôrka was designated a National Cultural Monument of the Slovak Republic. It was said to be one of the country's best-preserved castles. On 10 March 2012 the castle was extensively damaged by fire.
The name means "a beautiful mountain" (Slovak: krásna - beautiful, hôrka - a little mountain).
The History
The castle was built in the 13th century by the Ákos brothers on a trade route leading from Transylvania through Košice to Spiš and today's Poland. The Ákos family lived in Krásna Hôrka from the mid-13th century to 1566, apart from a short period when the Mariássy family seized control over the castle. In 1578 the castle passed into the hands of Péter Andrássy and remained in the possession of the Andrássy family up until 1918 (the year the First Czechoslovak Republic was founded).
During 2010 and 2011 the castle underwent renovation and was re-opened to public in April, 2011.
The Fire
On 10 March 2012, the castle was badly damaged by fire. The fire was caused by two young boys who attempted to light up a cigarette and accidentally lit grass on the hill, from where it spread up to the castle.
The castle building suffered extensive damage.
The roof, the exhibition area in the Gothic palace and the bell tower were completely destroyed. Three bells in the bell tower were melted by the heat. Initially, it was thought that many of the building's historic artifacts had been destroyed. The Slovak National Museum has stated that 90% of the collections were undamaged.
The burned castle may again open in 2018
„The renovated 13th century Krásna Hôrka Castle with revamped exhibitions may open in 2018“, said Slovak National Museum.
Alternatively, some parts of the castle may be opened earlier while work is still under way in other parts.
The first part of the work revolved around installing temporary roofing. The second stage has been under way since last year and involves installing permanent rafters and roofing. A total of €1.5 million has been spent on the renovation.