Parts of the ceiling structures, vaults and architectural elements have been preserved on the castle buildings and palaces, as well as the late Gothic windows and remnants of the vaulting rib system in the chapel. During the conservation, some of the premises were adapted to expose the castle's development and traditions.The five-storey prismatic tower with entrance on the first floor, the adjoining small courtyard with a cistern and the residential building which they later incorporated into the building of the Eastern Palace represent the original watchtower at the top of the rock. This building was gradually extended by a new courtyard, on which stands a double-winged southern palace with a spiral staircase and a northern palace finished with a Gothic chapel.

Strečno Castle was probably built at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, but the older settlement of the castle hill has been documented since the 9th century, when there was not only the oldest Slavic settlement, but probably also the oldest fortifications. The castle was first mentioned in 1321 in a document of Karol Róbert, in which it frees the people of Žilina from paying tolls in Trenčín, Budatín, Kysucké Nové Mesto and Strečno. In 1358 it is mentioned "castelanus de Strecnvn" - the castle of Strečno and only in 1384 is it directly called "comitatus casari Strechyn" - the county of the castle Strečno. The foundation of the castle is attributed to the Balass family. A century later, the castle was owned by the Stibor family, after which it belonged to the property of Queen Barbara and from the originally small fortress it turned into an important castle.

In 1446 the castle fell into the hands of the Liptov peasant Pongrácz from Sv. Nicholas. At the end of the 14th century, the Polish nobleman Sudivoj from Ostroroh is mentioned as the owner of the castle. Another change of ownership took place in 1483, when King Matej Korvín donated Strečno to his duke Pavel Kinizsi, who decided to rebuild and fortify the castle. In 1494, however, he fell in battle and the work begun was completed by his widow Benigna. In 1523, she sold the castle to Ján Zápoľský, who in 1529, as the crowned ruler, resigned the castle to the Kostkovci, who served as "governors of the upper castles in Považie". Mikuláš Kostka also tried to acquire the nearby Old Castle, but after a quarter of a century of land war, the Pongrácz family defended this castle. After the death of Mikuláš Kostka, Strečno acquired her husband Štefan Dersffy through his daughter Anna. Then, when Anna's granddaughter Katarína married Baron Štefan Wesselényi, at the beginning of the 17th century a new family settled in the castle, which completed the building development of the castle with early Baroque alterations.

František Wesselényi excelled as a military commander and therefore stayed away from home. His wife Žofia Bosniaková remained mainly in charge of the Strečnian estate. However, in 1644 she was not even 35 years old, she died at Strečno. Her life is full of legends and has been the subject of many books. After her death, the widower František married Maria Szécha and from 1655 he held the position of Hungarian palatine. Despite this high position, he became a leading figure in the preparation of the anti-Habsburg conspiracy. After Wesselényi's death in 1667, all his property was confiscated by the royal chamber. In the 17th century, the castle provided good protection for Thököly's insurgents, so the imperial troops under Leopold I demolished the outer fortifications and damaged the castle buildings. The new owner of the Strečni estate, the imperial general Ján Jakub Löwenburg, had the damaged areas of the castle examined in 1689, which burned down during the Thököly uprising and was deserted. At that time, they discovered the almost intact body of Žofia Bosniaková in the crypt of the castle chapel. Even before the demolition of the castle, the Löwenurg family took the mummified body to the seat of their estate in Teplička nad Váhom.

The castle has been in ruins ever since. At the beginning of the 20th century, the walls were preserved, but the largest reconstruction took place between 1978 and 1993, so that they could make it available to the public in 1995.

Strečno's Saint

František Wesselényi, the husband of Mrs. Žofia, kept his duties outside the castle and the sparrows in Strečno were already chirping that he was constantly cheating him. Žofia sought oblivion in helping her neighbors and comforting her in prayer. She often prayed in a light shirt and barefoot in a rock chapel near Váh, where she was once found almost dead. However, she always forgave her husband. But he was still angry with her. Once, when cholera was rising in the county, he forbade burying the dead. Zofia broke the order and laid the dead on the night of the dead. The angry lord of the castle threatened her, but she always did what her heart and faith preached. When the lord came home from the war, she was praying. Her husband called her, but she told him that she was now talking to a bigger master than he was. An angry Wesselényi punished her, but eventually pleaded her again.

Beautiful Marienka

Neighbors from the Old Castle and Strečno burned almost simultaneously with love for the beautiful Marienka from the Strečno castle. Although the bride was forcibly taken to the altar by the Střecni castle lord, Marienka loved the noble Milka - the lord of the Old Castle. The Strečnian castle lord therefore insidiously murdered his juice. Marienka then fled the cursed castle Strečno and secretly visited Milk's grave at night. The Strečniansky lord found out about this and waited on the shore of Váh for Marienka to apologize to her. However, a knight in armor arrived, and the lord of the castle, believing that he was going to avenge Milk's death, wasted the knight. However, she was a knight dressed and unknown Marienka.

Margita and Besná

A rich farm once lived on a farm below Strečno. He was widowed as a young man and raised his daughter himself. Although Margita resembled an undeveloped puck, there was no beauty in her pair. When she turned sixteen, the farmer told himself that he would not protect so much beauty alone. He thought she needed a new mother. He married a widow. She was a beautiful woman, proud and proud like a peacock! She had a black mane stretched with golden needles in a knot, a tailor-made button and a skirt decorated with lace. She wanted to like everyone, especially the young stump, who worked on the farm. But the housewife revolved around the boy in vain! Paholok had eyes only for Margita. He saw that the girl had a bad start on the farm. The housewife drove Margita from the room to the stable to sleep with the horses. She gave her the roughest piece of robots in the house, let the girl lose her beauty in the ashes and dirt.

But not even the rough work wiped the pollen of innocence and youth from Margita's face. She flourished more and more day by day. Maybe it was because she also started liking the lion. The young people looked at each other, and since they were close from heart to heart, they agreed to get married in the spring. Paholok went to the house and asked for Margita's hand. When the housewife found out about it, she was overwhelmed with anger and anger. She wondered how she would get rid of her stepdaughter. She decided to kill her stepdaughter. One morning a girl called and said, "You will bring a letter from my relative, who lives in Turkey. Get ready for the journey at once. ”The tame girl, taught to obey, nemo just nodded and set out to carry the written letter without distraction. The housekeeper slipped behind him. As they walked away from the farm and found themselves on the steep bank of the Vah, the unhappy girl whipped into the water. He was immediately caught in the turbulent waters. The evil housewife went back home. Maybe her sin would never have come to light if her sweetheart hadn't been worried about Margita. He noticed that the girl had been sent by the housewife somewhere in the morning. He also noticed how he was secretly sneaking up behind her. He followed her down the sidewalk. He saw the rushing water pulling his sweetheart in the middle of Vah. He rushed after her to save her. He pulled Margita ashore, but there was no life in it. He raised her all night for free! So his friends found him there. One of them asked him, "Tell us what happened?" But now my happiness is over forever! ”The bachelors felt sorry for the angry friend. In anger, they went to the farm, took the housekeeper and dragged her to Vah. She resisted them unnecessarily, defended herself unnecessarily, screamed in vain for rat. There, at the same place where Margita had found her death, they threw the housekeeper into the water. The water propelled her right where the unfortunate goddess swayed in the arms of the dead Margita. He wanted to rub his crying eyes with his sleeve. He looked up and suddenly saw the housewife rushing at him across the water. He was afraid that even now he wanted to hurt his sweetheart. He jumped into the water to protect Margita with his own body. It turned into a violent vortex, which tore the housewife a few feet away and knocked it ashore.

At that moment, the housewife turned into a rock, as gloomy and rabid as the anger in her heart. That is why Besná still says that rock. Margita did not escape the miraculous transformation either. It, too, has become a rock that faith still defends. It will protect her as long as Váh remains Váhom and as long as this reputation is told.

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