Vršatec

The Vršatec cliffs are klippen, blocks of hard limestone left standing when the softer rock around them wore away, and they rise as white walls out of green pasture in the White Carpathians with the ruin of Vršatec castle on one of them. The rock is the main climbing area in western Slovakia. Paths run along the base and up to the ridge, from which the view runs west into Moravia and east across the Váh valley.

History

The ridge was lived on by people of the Lusatian and Púchov cultures and by Slavs in the 9th-10th centuries, and building of the castle, part of the line guarding the north-western border of Hungary, began in the 13th century after the Mongol invasion. After fires in 1680 and 1707 its owners did not rebuild it, and local volunteers now work to preserve the ruin and open it to visitors (Wikipedia, Vršatec castle).

The landscape

• The white klippen - hard limestone blocks standing out of soft pasture.
• The castle ruin - Vrsatec castle on top of one of the rock blocks.
• The climbing - the main sport climbing area in western Slovakia.
• The border ridge - views into Moravia from the crest above.

When to go

April to October is the season, with pasture flowers in May and June. Autumn is clearest for the views. Ice makes the rock paths dangerous in winter.

Good to know

The path up to the castle is steep and exposed in places with no railings. Climbing has restricted zones for nesting birds in spring and the closures are enforced. Facilities are minimal.

Nearby

Trencin is south, and the Moravian border is west.