At the highest point of the castle hill there is a Renaissance Gothic upper castle. Between the ruins of the palaces has a small courtyard. From the archaeological point of view, the most important are the preserved Gothic and Renaissance architectural elements, window frames, portals, consoles, gunshots, Renaissance attic and pitch noses to defend the castle access road. Massive fortifications with entrance and bastions boasts the lower castle. The castle has recently been reconstructed and refurbished, so at present there are traces of several interventions.The castle was statically secured. It was mainly reinforced upper castle, where the floors are concreted and connected by perimeter walls. A part of the castle above the entrance gate is reconstructed. The lower castle was also reconstructed, resulting in aerated concrete blocks and ceramics. However, in addition to these disproportionate interventions, the ruin still impresses.

Likava belongs to the Slovak castles without the Hungarian equivalent of the name, which testifies to the ethnicity of the inhabitants of Liptov and the use of the local name. The guard castle on the way from Liptov to Orava was probably built by Master Donč around 1335. After his death, the castle belonged to the royal chamber and in 1397 it was touched by the march of the Moravian margrave Prokop and the Opole prince Ladislav, during which the castle was conquered and briefly occupied. In the years 1410 to 1415, there was a royal construction smelter in the castle, which made many modifications to the castle. In the twenties of the same century, the castle was the castellan John of Messenpek, whose later work is well known in Moravia. When Queen Barbora Cejlská received Likava around 1430, the Hussites seized the castle, whose crew left it only in 1434.

Later, the castle belonged to Ján Hunyadi, who restored it and built a new western gate. Later, the Pongrácz family from St. Nicholas and Peter Komorovský alternated in temporary ownership. Matej Korvín regained the manor from him in 1474 and after his death it fell to his illegitimate son Ján. In 1496, Štefan Zápoľský seized the castle by force, but in a dispute between his son Ján and Ferdinand I of Habsburg over the Hungarian throne, Likava was conquered in 1528 by Imperial General Katzianer. Ľudovít Pekry received the damaged seat and, according to the coat of arms inscriptions from 1533 to 1535, it generously restored and rebuilt it.

In the middle of the 16th century, however, it was already owned by the Báthory family and in 1566 the castle was bought by Duke Ján Krušič of Lupoglava. He took care of the thorough fortifications during the Turkish threat. He also sacrificed living quarters and a chapel in the eastern front of the castle, which he significantly strengthened and placed cannon chambers in it, thus transforming it into a polygonal cannon bastion. Štefan Illésházy married the Likava estate with his widow Krušič, who probably completed the reconstruction. Under Gašpar Illésházy, the first eastern gate was built in 1642, but in the middle of the 17th century the castle was acquired by the Thököly princely family.

Štefan Thököly finally provided the castle with a water source - a well - for a high price. In addition, the palaces and their facades were again adjusted, height-adjusted. In addition, since 1651, Štefan has built a huge western fortification, today almost lost in the forest. The three round bastions (there were supposedly five of them) were connected by a wall stretching along the edge of the terrain terrace, in front of which a moat was partially excavated. Even this did not help during the siege by the imperial army in 1670, and after a week General Heister conquered the castle. The re-occupation by the Thököly rebel divisions and the imperial troops also took place in 1678, and therefore the conversion of the castle into a penitentiary began. But after the uprising of Francis II. Rákóczi's treasury decided in 1707 to demolish the castle. Since then, the condition of the castle has been deteriorating.

When the area around the corner of the most endangered northern palace collapsed in 1975, efforts to save it finally prevailed. Since In 1980, archaeological research and conservation work took place at the castle.

Legend of the castle

On the besieged Likava, the castle lord, with the help of a servant, buried the treasure at night. He beheaded a single witness and lost his life in the coming fight. Hidden valuables are guarded by an executed iceberg, who walks through the castle at midnight with his head under his armpit.

Opening hours and admission

https://liptovskemuzeum.sk/expozicia/likava/otvaracie-hodiny/

https://www.hrady-zamky.sk/likava/