Plaveč Castle, 13th-century castle ruins in Prešovský kraj, Slovakia.
Plaveč Castle is a 13th-century fortress ruin standing on a hilltop near the Poprad River valley in Prešovský county. Southeastern walls and a round tower remain standing from the original structure.
It was built around 1294 by nobleman Arnold as a border fortress to protect trade routes between Hungary and Poland. The structure burned down in 1856 after being converted into a classicist palace.
The name comes from the Polovci tribe, whose members once guarded this border region during the Middle Ages. This connection to the local population still shapes how people understand the place today.
The ruins can be reached by foot from Plaveč village in roughly ten minutes, making it accessible for visitors of different ages. The path is fairly easy to walk, though it does go uphill.
The fortress was later transformed into a classicist palace, which was an unusual conversion for a medieval fortification. The traces of these modifications can still be seen in the remaining sections today.
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