Castle Čičva, Castle Divín and Fortress Bzovík

Castle Čičva

The road south of the reservoir Veľká Domaša leads under the castle Čičva from the 13th century. It is known for its Book of Lies and Liar, which was founded here in the 16th and 17th centuries and is also known as the book Čičava. It records curious lies and the names of liars. The Slovak idiom: “It should be written in the Čičava book” is still used and refers to outrageous lies.

Divín Castle

Divín village is located near the water reservoir Ružiná. The castle played an important role as against the Turkish fortress.

Its not very well-known owner, Imrich Balassa, was a burglar and made attacks around the castle. After his death, in 1683, the castle was conquered by imperial troops and fell into decline.

In Divina there is a fortified and abandoned Renaissance castle, a Baroque church and a building with the oldest sundial in the Novohrad region. Interesting events are organized here during the summer months.

Fortress Bzovík

The fortress Bzovík in the south of central Slovakia was several times destroyed. In 1530 it ended in the hands of Sigismund Balass, who expelled the monks and the Roman monastery wanted to rebuild it into a Gothic-Renaissance castle with strong outer walls including four bastions and dams. The fortress was damaged at the end of World War II and recently reconstructed.