The Lietava Castle is an extensive castle ruin in the Sulov Mountains of northern Slovakia, between the villages of Lietava and Lietavska Svinna-Babkov in the Zilina District.
History
The castle was built after 1241, most likely as an administrative and military centre. In the early 14th century, it is mentioned with Mate Csak III, one of the powerful magnates in the Kingdom of Hungary. The castle changed hands until the 16th century when the Thurzo family gained it. It was reconstructed and fortified, and given its own military garrison. After the death of Imre Thurzo in 1621, it was divided between his heirs. After the ownership disputes in 1641, they lost interest in it. The castle report in 1698 said that the castle was uninhabited and there was only an archive, which was moved to the Orava Castle in the 1760s. After that, the castle was abandoned and not used any more.
Today
Today the castle is in the hands of the non-profit organisation Zdruzenie na zachranu Lietavskeho hradu, which takes care about the castle and perform the conservation works on this ruined castle.
