Čachtice Castle
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The Čachtice Castle [pronounced: cha-kh-tyitse] (Slovak: Čachtický hrad, Hungarian: Csejte vára) is a castle ruin in Slovakia next to the village of Čachtice. The castle was a residence and later the prison of the world's most prolific female serial killer countess Elizabeth Báthory who, according to the legend, bathed in the blood of maidens.
It was built in the mid-13th century by Kazimir of the House of Hunt-Poznan as a sentry on the road to Moravia. Later, it belonged to Matúš Čák, the Stibor zo Stiboríc family and then to the famous Bloody Lady Elizabeth Báthory (1560-1614).
Originally, it was a Romanesque castle with an interesting horse-shoe shaped residence tower. It was turned to a Gothic castle later and its size was increased in the 15th and 16th centuries. A Renaissance renovation followed in the 17th century. Finally, in 1708 the castle was captured and plundered by the rebels of Francis II Rákóczi and has been in decay since.
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