The massive building of the main building consists of two wings: the left wing faces from the tower to the southeast and the right wing faces northeast. The entire building with the tower is made of reinforced concrete. Portland cement was allegedly used for the first time in the construction of the castle. The architectural design of the castle is based on a romantic concept based on medieval models of European architectures. The complex of buildings is dominated by a massive central tower, with an observation deck in its roof. The mass of the castle palace is accentuated by gables, steep roofs and towers. The fortified front yard with chapel and bastions forms the framework of the romantic shaping of green. An integral part of Smolenice Castle is a large English park.The completed and modernized chateau was handed over to Slovak Academy of Sciences on the day of its birth, on June 26, 1953. Since then, the Smolenice chateau has become the home of the SAS researchers.

The first written mention of the castle dates from 1457, but it is possible that the castle existed in 1438. The threat of the Hussites was a sufficient reason to start construction during this period. Smolenický Castle belonged to the Counts of St. George and Pezinok from 1438, until the beginning of the 16th century, when it was acquired by the Országh family, although it is not assumed that they lived here because they had a well-equipped seat in Pezinok. In 1567, after the male line, the Országh family died out and the castle was deposited by Krištof Ungnad. At the end of the 16th century, Tomáš Erdődy became the owner of the castle, but due to excessive debts, the Erdődy family later lost the castle. The Erdődy family rebuilt the castle (they added floors especially above the inner main building). At the beginning of the 18th century, when František Rákóczi rose up against the emperor and wanted to gain Hungarian independence, Smolenický Castle became the scene of many battles between the Kurucs and the imperial army. At the beginning of 1705, about 3,000 insurgents gathered near Smolenice, but on January 7, 1705, a general Heister dispersed them before they reached the castle. Nevertheless, Rákoczi's insurgents kept Smolenice Castle under siege and cut it off from the town of Smolenice. The serfs sympathized with and supported the insurgents. In addition, the great drought caused a lack of water in the castle, so the imperial soldiers were forced to use wine instead of water while the supply was sufficient. Finally, on July 10, 1705, exhausted, Castelli and Haslinger, together with the guard, left Smolenický Castle. The castle fell into the hands of Count Bercsényi, who occupied it with an observation unit. The insurgents held Smolenický Castle for two years and did not leave it until July 7, 1707, when it was again occupied by a section of the imperial army.

As the last Erdődy family was very indebted to the Smolenice estate, this had an adverse effect on the maintenance of the castle. They stopped caring for the castle, they didn't repair it. In 1777 the castle fell into the hands of the Pálffy family. The new owners, the Pálffys, had a lot of worries about paying their debts, and the castle surrendered to fate. During the Napoleonic Wars, the castle burned down, and over time it turned into a castle rubble. Long-standing disputes over hereditary rights ended in 1864, when Móric Pálffy and his son Jozef took over the Smolenický estate. After removing the inner ruin, the new owners built a romantic castle into the modified fortifications of the lower castle, according to the architect Jozef Hubert. Construction work was interrupted by the death of Jozef Pálfi after the First World War.

The castle was reconstructed into the current form of a romantic chateau only in the years 1949 to 1957, when the interior of the castle was renewed and modernized for the needs of the Academy of Sciences. At present, the castle serves as a cultural center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences.

The legend of the castle

The cruel castellan ordered Ďuro – a poor man to take the letter to Bratislava Castle and return back with the answer till the evening. A kind-hearted ploughboy helped the poor man, who brought him there and back in a miraculous chariot pulled by three crows. When the courier returned within the time limit, the traitor was dead, and then the miraculous carriage got two pairs of black horses.

Smolenice

The place where Smolenice is now situted was the forest in past . A path led through the forest. Once there was a pitcher, he drove pitch in the car. The lords hunted for game in the forest. They chased a beautiful deer, which ran scared on the road and straight into the pitch! The car turned over so the pitch spilled on the ground. The pitcher shouted all over, "SMOLA NIC!" And so they started calling this place SMOLENICE. The lords paid for the damage and accepted the pitcher into their service. They built him a house in an unfortunate place, where he lived as a guardian of the surrounding forests. His house was the first house in SMOLENICE. Later, the number of houses was added, and so the famous SMOLENICE with a beautiful castle was created.

The rumor of a robber

Several legends about bandits have been preserved in Smolenice and its surroundings. One of them talks about Hrajnoh, who came from the Myjava diggers. After being caught, the Trnava court sentenced him to death on June 27, 1768, by quartering and hanging him out as a warning. A legend says that he was buried behind the town walls of Smolenice and the fence of the cemetery near the road to Boleráz. They rolled a large stone on his grave, which can still be seen in the park in front of the K + H restaurant.

The castle is open to the public only in certain months.Opening hours and admission

http://www.kcsmolenice.sav.sk/?lng=sk&charset=&doc=basinfo_examination

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