A renaissance building with a Marriage palace in the center of Bytča, located mostly on the right bank of the Váh River
In the walls of the manor house and other buildings of its premises, there have been preserved secondary built fragments of architectural elements, probably originating from the original building. The first construction stage of today's manor house is characterized by the establishment of a regular four-wing layout with a central tower above the entrance and circular towers on the corners. The interior spaces with smooth plaster and straight beamed ceilings were mostly separately accessible from the courtyard or gallery, which was led by two side spiral staircases in addition to an isosceles staircase with stone steps. The defensive function of the manor house was emphasized by the fire guns on the ground floor. The fortifications of the complex were built only manor house its completion. The second, renaissance stage, related to the period of taking over the manor house by Juraj Thurz, brought a change in the layout of the ground floor, where most of the spaces were built by barrel vaults with lunettes. The change of layout was mainly related to the eastern wing with kitchens. The older layout has preserved one of the most beautiful stone portals with exceptional and unusually rich profiling.The unprofessional restoration intervention in 1889 and 1926-1929 caused that rare wall paintings in the courtyard of the manor house were irretrievably destroyed. The authors used unsuitable oil paints and, among other things, did not respect the original. The perpetual threat of fire forced Leopold Popper to replace the roof structure, but also to change the shape of the roof to its present form. The manor house is the seat of the State Archive. Another building in the area of the manor house is the Marriage Palace, the only one of its kind in Slovakia, built in 1601 by its owner, the Hungarian palatine Juraj Thurzo. The palace hosted the wedding feasts of his seven daughters. Today it is an exhibition space.
The manor house in Bytča was built between 1571 and 1574 on the older Gothic foundations of the water castle. The original smaller water castle was built in the 13th century and belonged to the Nitra diocese. During the following centuries, the ownership of the castle changed several owners (eg Pongrácovci, Podmanickovci).
In 1563, František I. Thurzo, a member of an important business family (engaged in copper mining and production), acquired the Bytčianske manor together with the castle. buildings. František's son Juraj won a leading position at the imperial court for his active participation in the fight against the Turks. Since he was a minor at the time of his father's death (1574), he did not take over the administration of family property until 1585, after the death of his mother, Katarína Zrínská. Since then, the castle has become his ancestral residence. At the same time, the chateau became the center not only of the Bytč estate, but also of other Turzov estates, especially the Lietava and Orava estates. The year of the beginning of construction is carved on the inscription above the portal between the Turzovský and Zríniov coat of arms: SVB. AVSPICIIS. PII. INVICTIQVE. CAESARIS // MAXIMILIANI II. ELECTI. ROMANORVM. IMPERATO // RIS. AC. GERMANIAE. HUNGARIAE. BOEMIAEQVE. REGIS // FRANCISCVS. THVRZO. DE. BETHLENFALWA. SVMTIBVS // PROPRIIS. HOC. OPVS. A. FVNDAMENTO. FIERI. CVRAVIT // ERREXITQVE. ANNO. DOMINI. 1. 5. 7. 1., in free translation: "Under a just and invincible emperor // Maximilian II., Elected Roman emperor // king of Germany, Hungary and Bohemia // František Thurzo from Betlanoviec gave at his own expense from foundations of this work // build. In the year of the Lord 1571. ".
As a Hungarian palatine, he had the so-called The wedding palace, a spacious building in the forecourt, dedicated to festive family occasions, especially the wedding feasts of their seven daughters. During the Renaissance, the Italian master A. Pocabello also entered the history of the chateau, repairing the chateau and the Wedding Palace after the devastating invasion of the Hajdú troops in 1605 - 1612. During these modifications, they also built an arcade in the courtyard of the central building, which covered old frescoes from the period of the manor's origin.
After the extinction of the Thurzo family, who established a library in Bytča and also had a jeweller's shop with a collection of rare tapestries, the fate of Bytčianske chateau changed. In 1624, through the marriage of Kristína Nyára, widow of Imrich Turz, the last male member of the Turzov family, and Mikuláš Eszterházy, the chateau became the property of the Eszterházy family, to which it belonged until the middle of the 19th century. Due to the fact that their main family seat was the castle in the town of Eisenstadt, they used this building mainly for economic purposes. Its appearance was enriched only in 1736 by a cycle of murals in the arcade. The frescoes depict the life-size of Hungarian and European rulers as well as famous dukes and heroes from ancient mythology.
In 1862, the estate was bought by the Popper business family, who saw in its possession mainly economic benefits. It also subjected building modifications to this, which contradicted the historical and architectural value of the building: it rebuilt its own castle into flats, the Wedding Palace into a district court. The so-called classicist building, which was built around 1830 Reconstruction of the Renaissance building, functionally annexed to the district court and also served the purpose of the city. At the time of the ownership of the last owners, the castle was heavily in debt. In 1935, it was first imposed on him and since 1945 a national administration. Finally, on April 3, 1950, the state took over the ownership of Bytčiansky Castle together with other buildings belonging to it. The State Regional Archive is located in the main building of the manor house, and the exhibition spaces of the Považský Museum are located in the Wedding Palace.
Juraj Jánošík, who met the imprisoned robber Tomáš Uhorčík, served in the chateau as a soldier of the guard section. After his release from the imperial army, he persuaded him to join the bandits. Jánošík then formed his own retinue and became a legendary hero who "took from the rich and gave to the poor." Finally, at the beginning of March 1713, he was captured, in Liptovský Svatý Mikuláš, convicted and executed on the gallows.
On January 7, 1611, a famous court was held in Bytča Castle with the assistants of Elisabeth Bathory, the Lady of Čachtice, known for her sadistic activities. The judiciary sentenced helpers to death for this interesting criminal case. Elisabeth herself was not tried, the sentence only mentions that she was left in the prison at Čachtice Castle, where she remained until her death in 1614.
There are no myths available.
In the main building of the manor there is the State Regional Archive, which is not accessible to the public. However, it is possible to visit the Wedding Palace near the manor houseOpening hours and admission