Cachtice
Encyclopedia
Čachtice is a village in Nové Mesto nad Váhom District
in western Slovakia
with a population of 3,630 (as of 2004).
The village is situated between the Danubian Lowland
and the Little Carpathians
. It is best known for the ruins of the nearby Čachtice Castle
, home of Elizabeth Báthory
who is alleged to be the world's most prolific female serial killer. The castle stands on a hill featuring rare plants, and the area was declared a national nature reserve (Čachtický hradný vrch) for this reason.
, eneolithic, Bronze age
, Hallstatt period, La Tène period, Roman
periods and the early Slavic period have been found here.
The first written reference to the village dates from 1263. Čachtice has received the status of a town in 1392, but it was later degraded back to a village. In 1847 the parsonage was the meeting place of the first Slovak national and cultural society Tatrín, at which the definitive decision to use the central Slovak dialects as the basis for the new standard of the codified Slovak language
was adopted.
. The most famous owner was the Countess Elizabeth Báthory
, who was convicted of numerous murders and nicknamed "The Bloody Lady". She was imprisoned in her own castle and died there in 1614. The castle was abandoned in 1708 and now lies in ruins.
Nové Mesto nad Váhom District
Nové Mesto nad Váhom District is adistrict inthe Trenčín Region of western Slovakia.Until 1918, the district was mostly part of theHungarian countyof Nitra, with an area in the north...
in western Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
with a population of 3,630 (as of 2004).
The village is situated between the Danubian Lowland
Danubian Lowland
The Danubian Lowland or Danube Lowland is the name of the part of Little Alföld situated in Slovakia, located between the Danube, the Little Carpathians and all other parts of the Western Carpathians....
and the Little Carpathians
Little Carpathians
The Little Carpathians are a low, about 100 km long, mountain range, part of the Carpathian Mountains. The mountains are situated in Western Slovakia, covering the area from Bratislava to Nové Mesto nad Váhom, a very small part called Hundsheimer Berge is situated south of Devín Gate in...
. It is best known for the ruins of the nearby Čachtice Castle
Cachtice Castle
The Čachtice Castle is a castle ruin in Slovakia next to the village of Čachtice. It stands on a hill featuring rare plants, and has been declared a national nature reserve for this reason...
, home of Elizabeth Báthory
Elizabeth Báthory
Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed was a countess from the renowned Báthory family of Hungarian nobility. Although in modern times she has been labelled the most prolific serial killer in history, the number of murders has been debated...
who is alleged to be the world's most prolific female serial killer. The castle stands on a hill featuring rare plants, and the area was declared a national nature reserve (Čachtický hradný vrch) for this reason.
History
Prehistoric ettlements from the neolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
, eneolithic, Bronze age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
, Hallstatt period, La Tène period, Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
periods and the early Slavic period have been found here.
The first written reference to the village dates from 1263. Čachtice has received the status of a town in 1392, but it was later degraded back to a village. In 1847 the parsonage was the meeting place of the first Slovak national and cultural society Tatrín, at which the definitive decision to use the central Slovak dialects as the basis for the new standard of the codified Slovak language
Slovak language
Slovak , is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages .Slovak is the official language of Slovakia, where it is spoken by 5 million people...
was adopted.
Castle
The castle was built in the 13th century in order to protect a trade route to MoraviaMoravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
. The most famous owner was the Countess Elizabeth Báthory
Elizabeth Báthory
Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed was a countess from the renowned Báthory family of Hungarian nobility. Although in modern times she has been labelled the most prolific serial killer in history, the number of murders has been debated...
, who was convicted of numerous murders and nicknamed "The Bloody Lady". She was imprisoned in her own castle and died there in 1614. The castle was abandoned in 1708 and now lies in ruins.