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Home/Countries/Slovakia/Landmarks & history/Stará Ľubovňa Castle

Stará Ľubovňa Castle

A border castle in northern Spiš where the Polish crown jewels were hidden for a decade, with an open-air village museum below.

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Typecastle
WherePresov
Nearest cityPoprad
Best seasonMay to October
Time to allowHalf a day
Getting thereAt Stara Lubovna, about 55 km northeast of Poprad
EntryCharged; combined ticket with the skanzen

Stará Ľubovňa castle stands on a rock above the Poprad river on what was for centuries the Polish border, and it was Polish territory for over three hundred years after the Spiš towns were pawned in 1412. During the Swedish invasion of the 1650s the Polish crown jewels were hidden here for a decade. Below the castle is a skanzen of relocated wooden buildings from the surrounding villages, including a Greek Catholic church.

What you actually see

  • The castle - a rock-top fortress with a Renaissance palace inside the walls.
  • The crown jewels story - the decade the Polish regalia spent hidden here.
  • The skanzen - relocated wooden houses and a Greek Catholic church below.
  • The Poprad valley - the river and the Polish border country beyond.

When to go

May to October is the main season and the skanzen is fully open then. Winter hours are shorter and some buildings close. Summer brings historical events.

Honest expectations

The skanzen buildings are largely closed outside summer. The castle interiors are museum displays rather than furnished rooms. Labelling is mostly in Slovak.

Nearby

Cerveny Klastor is northwest, and Kezmarok is southwest.

What to pack for Stará Ľubovňa Castle

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Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.

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