Medieval Tower Discovered at Slovakian Castle

News June 17, 2019

(Courtesy Kamil Švaňa)
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Slovakian Castle
(Courtesy Kamil Švaňa)

MARKUŠOVSKÝ, SLOVAKIA—The Slovak Spectator reports that the base of a circular tower thought to date to the end of the thirteenth or beginning of the fourteenth centuries has been discovered at Markušovský Castle, which is located in eastern Slovakia. Markušovský Castle was first mentioned in historic documents dating back to A.D. 1284, when the Máriassy family was given the right to build it. Archaeologist Kamil Švaňa said the tower, which may have been residential as well as part of the castle’s defensive system, may have been part of the first phase of construction and could help confirm the identification of the site. “We found the remains of the entrance to the tower’s lower floor under the level of terrain,” Švaňa explained. The upper part of the tower may have been dismantled and reused in the construction of newer parts of the castle, he added. A bronze bell and two coins dated to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were also uncovered. To read in-depth about medieval castles, go to "Inside the Anarchy."

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