The castle area is surrounded by a moat. The form and extent of the early medieval castle are unknown, because its structures were modified during the later construction activity. This is one of the reasons why the remains of the high medieval stone castle from the 13th to the 14th century in the form of a perimeter wall and a part of the younger palace were uncovered only during research in 1994. The wall ended with a crenellation defined the area of the castle core of an oval ground plan, situated at the top of the hoop, while the palace annexed to the wall in the east retained only the northern wall with the entrance portal. To date, the best preserved is the northern prism tower with the passage of the main entrance gate and the second prism tower in the east, oriented towards the settlement below castle.The last builder was the Pálffy family. Similarly to other buildings in the country, they started a significant early baroque building activity, which was later respected by later reconstructions and alterations due to its high artistic value. Most of the castle's buildings gained a neo-gothic appearance with a new plastering block and a defensive items, while the interior was romantically and fundamentally rebuilt. The sudden death of Pállfy caused that the overall intent of the reconstruction was not completed, so the northern flank and the adjacent gate tower have kept its older baroque appearance.The concept of romantic reconstruction of the castle was also applied in the interiors of the building, according to the romantic ideas based on the medieval atmosphere of the 19th century. There are ensembles of neo-gothic style furnishings, salons, bedrooms, various rooms as well as older historical spaces, which complete the historical furniture, paintings and objects of handicrafts.

Bojnice Castle is one of the oldest and most important monuments in Slovakia. It stands on a travertine hill above the city. It was originally a wooden castle and evolved from an older fortified settlement. The first written mention of the castle is from 1113 in a document of the Zobor abbey. It is believed that the castle was built by Kazimir shortly after the Tatar invasion. In 1299, Matúš Čák took it from the sons of Kazimír from the Bzovice branch of the Hont-Pázmány family. After Čák's death in 1321, the castle remained in the hands of the king, but in 1393 it was already in the possession of the lords of Jelšava, and the aristocratic families - Gileth, Leustach, Noffry - took over as other owners. During their ownership, the castle resisted the attack of the Hussites.

In 1489, King Matej Korvín donated the Bojnice castle together with the manor to his illegitimate son Ján Korvín. After the death of King Matej, the castle was seized by Zápoľský's troops and headed by Štefan Zápoľský until 1526. In 1527, King Ferdinand I. donated the castle to Alexej Thurzo. Thurzo modified the castle and rebuilt it into a comfortable Renaissance mansion. The original Gothic castle thus acquired the character of a Renaissance chateau with equally tall residential buildings grouped around the inner courtyard.

After the extinction of the Thurzo family (in 1636), the castle again belonged to the crown. A year later in 1637, Emperor Ferdinand III. gave Bojnice estate to Pavel Pálffy in advance for two hundred thousand gold. In 1643, the Pálffy family inherited Bojnice Castle. In Bojnice, the construction industry took over again and the castle got a baroque appearance. Construction activity at the castle subsided at the end of the 17th century. Its appearance did not change significantly during the 18th and 19th centuries. After a long period of stagnation and decline, the Bojnice estate with the castle was acquired in 1852 by its last aristocratic owner - Count Ján František Pálffy. Count Pálffy decided to rebuild the castle into a romantic chateau. He used French Gothic castles from the Loire Valley, the Pontifical Palace in Avignon, Gothic Tyrolean castles and early Renaissance Italian architecture as examples. The architect of the neo-Gothic reconstruction was Jozef Hubert. But the architect apparently became only an instrument in the hands of his customer with a highly refined artistic taste. Pálffy himself drew, designed and directed all the work. This last neo-Gothic reconstruction lasted 22 years (1889 - 1910).

Count Pálffy did not live to see its full completion, he died in Vienna on June 2, 1908 as an old bachelor. Because he had no direct heirs, disputes over relatives over inheritance broke out soon after his death. In 1923, a friendly agreement was concluded between the heirs of Count Pálffy and the Czech-Slovak state, in which collections were determined that will not be the subject of auctions. Auctions of Count Pálffy's art collections took place between 1924 and 1926.

In 1939, the chateau and the land belonging to it were bought by the Baťa company. After the war, on the basis of Beneš's decrees, her property fell to the state. Five years later, on May 9, 1950, the castle burned down. At the expense of the state, the consequences of the fire were removed and the complete restoration of the castle was carried out. A cave was also discovered under the castle in the 1950s. At the same time, it was decided that a museum would be established here, which is part of the Slovak National Museum. The castle was declared a National Cultural Monument in 1970. 42 years after the death of Ján František Pálffy, his wish for the chateau to become a public museum was fulfilled.

The rumor says

Count Pálffy, enchanted by a young noblewoman from a French chateau, prepared housing for her on his estate, similar to her birthplace. The parents did not give their daughter to a foreigner, and the ruined lover remembered his love by a restored castle, on top of a tower with a wreath similar to a crown of thorns.

Rumor of a black lady

The Reverend Lord lived in Bojnice Castle with his faithful and devoted wife, whom people said was an embodied angel. Everyone who came to her found peace and help with her until the fateful moment came and anger reigned in the castle. The young man returned from the long war after some time, and his relatives told him lies. While he was on the battlefield, his mistress had fun with foreign knights and wandered with them all night. The innocent woman swore in vain, her husband remained cold and had the whole matter decided by the court. A vicious family and false witnesses led the jurors to an unusual verdict. Due to the suspicion of infidelity, the young chateau lady present here, even with a child who was born after her husband's departure for the war, is obliged to jump from Huňady's tower into the stone moat. If she is innocent, nothing will happen to her, but if she has sinned, she will end her sinful life there.

On the day of this vicious test, the staff of the chateau and the whole crowds of Bojnice gathered under Huňady's tower and waited for the court and especially the chateau lord to change his mind. It didn't happen. A young woman, together with a small child in her arms, aware of her innocence, jumped into the depths, recommending herself to the Lord God. Instead of falling, the lady of the castle and the child rose up high into the sky. Surprised judges and a broken castle lord were about to leave when something crashed into a ditch. When they came to look at the place where the innocent castle lady was supposed to end, they found only torn clothes and broken heads with their tongues out. They are the heads of gossipers and envious people. It is a punishment for their mortal sins. Grieving the castle lord, despising himself, went to the monastery forever. Since then, strange voices have been heard beside Hunyady's tower. It confuses the souls of evil relatives. However, only those who are without sin will see them.

Bojnice well without water

The mystery is also the well of Bojnice Castle, which is said to have never had any water in it. At the bottom lies a huge boulder, which according to legend blocks the entrance to the secret catacomb. It's hard to say what the truth is, because no one has moved the stone yet and found out what it is like with the alleged catacombs. Another mystery is the Bojnice altar. It is known that the altar was one of the most valuable treasures of the weirdo count, as evidenced by the strange fact that he placed it in the chapel exactly at the level of the sarcophagus, as if it were to perform some important function even when its owner is at his last resting place. The altar of Bojnice, bought by this great lover of art, is one of the most unique and most valuable objects in the castle's collections.

Stones from ducats

At the end of the 15th century, King Matej donated Bojnice Castle to his illegitimate son Ján Korvín. Ján also lived in Bojnice with his wife Blanka Sforzová. According to legend, the castle and its surroundings grew to the heart of the king himself. The beautiful surroundings and the spa, which already had a wide and far - good reach, often enticed the king to visit.

At that time, the castle was managed by the castellan Peter Póky. He was a deceitful and cruel man who decided that Bojnice Castle would be his. He abused the trust of a carefree young couple, robbed them, and robbed his subjects of ever-increasing taxes. He often argued that he was doing this only in the interests of his master, while storing the ducats in his own bags and chests.

One day a sick old man came to Bojnice, to a poor spa under the castle, to his death. He wanted to bathe in a healing spring. Kastelán Póky appropriated the healing spring and paid dearly for swimming in it. The old man asked him for mercy in vain, with nothing to pay. The warden's heart was hard. The wayfarer groaned, squinted, and even before he died, said terrible words, Let your black ducats, steward, turn to stone, and you yourself, perish by the hand of the executioner before the eyes of those whom you have humiliated and impoverished.

And it happened. The curse was fulfilled. Horrified, he ran to the highest tower of the castle, where he had hidden ducats hidden. When he opened the chests, the ducats turned into flat stones. Frightened, he screamed and poured everything out of the chests out the window into the ditch. Peter Póky was convicted of plotting against his master and quartered as a warning in St. Juraj in Buda in the year of Mr. 1496. All that remains is a bad memory and an old reputation.

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