Bojnice is a historical town in central Slovakia, it is best known for its tourist attractions: the oldest zoo in Slovakia, the famous castle and the popular spa. The town lies at the upper Nitra river valley, at the bottom of the Small Magura range. The significant medieval castle is one of the most visited castles in the country. It belongs to the oldest and most important memorials in Slovakia. The first written record of the existence of the castle comes from 1113 in the writ of Zobor Abbey. Originally the fortress was made from wood and grew out of the older fortress. Gradually over the 13th century it was built up from stone. The Thurzó’s, the wealthy family int he northern Kingdom of Hungary, acquired the castle in 1528 and undertook its major reconstruction. The former fortress was turned into a Renaissance castle. From 1646 the castle’s owners were Pálffys, who continued to rebuild the castle. Count János Ferenc Pálffy (1829-1908) made a complex romantic reconstruction from 1888 to 1910 and crated today’s beautiful imitation of French castles of the Loire valley. He not only had the castle built, but also was the architect and graphic designer. He utilized his fine artistic taste and love for collecting pieces of art. He was one of the greatest collectors of antiques, tapestries, drawings, paintings and sculptures of his time.Bojnice castle is surrounded by the castle park featuring numerous species of trees. The park contains the popular Bojnice Zoo as well.
More information: www.bojnice.sk; www.bojnicecastle.sk; www.zoobojnice.sk
