Blatnica Castle, a true “eagle’s nest”, standing on a narrow rock tower above the Gader gorge, was probably built in the second half of the 13th century by Peter of Brezovica. It later became royal property.
The foundation of the castle complex was a long narrow palace reinforced on the north and south sides with semicircular towers and protected from the north-east by a rocky cliff. In 1539, the King Ferdinand I of Habsburg granted the castle to František Révay. During subsequent reconstructions, members of the Révay family expanded the building by adding a forecourt with new buildings.
During the Tököly Uprising (1678 – 1686), the castle served as a safe haven for nobles and persecuted clergy from the surrounding area, and in 1703, the castle was occupied by the rebels of Francis II Rákoczy, who probably set fire to the upper castle and looted the entire building.
The following years brought a gradual decline. The Révay family gradually moved their residences to nearby manor houses in Štiavnička and Mošovce, and the abandoned castle was eventually turned into a farm building. Its fate was definitely sealed by a devastating fire in 1760, after which it remained uninhabited and gradually feel into ruin.

Did you know…?
Legend tells of a cruel castle lord who took another man’s bride. When he grew weary of her, he did not hesitate to kill her and had his son walled up alive. He also poisoned his second wife, and to this day, the cries of a child can be heard within the castle walls, while the ghosts of murdered women are said to appear.