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One of the most beautiful and well preserved Slovak castles, Krásna Hôrka, is located in south central Slovakia´s Gemer region, not far from the town Rožňava. It was built in the 13th century to protect the road leading into the rich mining of gold and silver.
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One of the most beautiful and well preserved Slovak castles, Krásna Hôrka, is located in south central Slovakia´s Gemer region, not far from the town Rožňava. It was built in the 13th century to protect the road leading into the rich mining of gold and silver.
The Hungarian King Béla IV presented the region to the family of Bebek as a reward for the battle against Tartars. But according to local legend, the family acquired the region other way/ see the „Legend of the castle“/. The Bebek family owned the castle for more than three centuries. František Bebek even established a coin factory there, where he produced counterfeit ducats made of bells stolen from the local settlers. When it was discovered, one of his accomplices murdered him.
In the 17th century, the castle was already owned by the Andrassy family, under whom it received a Renaissance look. In 1847, lighting struck the castle, burning a part of it down. Despite the damage, the Andrassy decided to keep it and reconstructed into a family museum. They gathered a large collection of historical weapons, including cannons, and created one of the most unique expositions in Europe. The museum was opened to the public in 1867 as one of the oldest castle expositions.
The Andrassy´s owned the castle until 1945, when the communists nationalised it. For several years the castle underwent reconstruction and it is a museum of historical furniture recording the life of nobles through centuries and many other artefacts.