Drawbridge and Renaissance Palace

In the 16th century, the entrance to the middle castle was protected by a fore-gate with a bridge and a small moat. Its later appearance was captured by Bernardo Bellotto, a painter from Italy, on his picture from the second half of the 18th century. There was a two-floor fore-gate ending with crenelation and embrasures built in front of the semi-circular tower accessible through the inner gallery. The lever drawbridge was carried by two arms (levers) equipped with counterweights which were moving in narrow gaps above the gate portal and provided easy operation of the bridge. When lifted up, the drawbridge grooved into the cavity around the portal. The Renaissance palace is associated with the construction activities of the Báthory family who owned the castle and the land in pledge between 1527 and 1605. The palace was added on the older Gothic wall and the adjacent semi-circular tower. The extensive three-floor building consisting of the basement, vaulted ground floor and a floor which ended with an arc-shaped attic covering the half span roof of the palace. It is an early example of the arc-shaped attic in Slovakia. The Pálffy family who had the castle in their possession in the 18th century had built the palace with the attic elevated with bricks and covered with a saddle roof. The arc-shaped attic had not been reconstructed until the monuments renovation in the 70s of the 20th century during which the original fortification character of the building was also presented.