At the end of September, the result of the extensive reconstruction of the western palace was presented at the Beck castle. Thanks to it, new views, breathtaking spaces were created, and visitors can also reach places where no human foot has set foot since 1728, when Beckov Castle burned down. The originally dilapidated ruin gradually becomes a castle comparable to Devín or Strečno.

Reconstruction of such a size was possible thanks to the DRAGON project, which received a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through EEA Grants and state budget funds. "Approximately 1.2 million euros were invested in the reconstruction, of which the municipality of Beckov, which is the owner of the building, contributed up to 300,000 euros from its budget," Ernest Benko, the mayor of Beckov, explained the financing.

Construction work began in April 2022 and was completed in August 2023. The approval decision that the castle received on September 26, 2023 officially opened these premises to the public. The most interesting part of the reconstruction was the use of a special construction crane, which could not be overlooked from a distance. To date, this type of technique has only been used in three castles in Slovakia. Various researches were also carried out during the reconstruction. Restoration, archaeological, architectural-historical, but also dendrochronological research. It was the last one that brought a very interesting discovery. The creation of the wall dates back to the period between 1165-1185, which makes Beckov Castle one of the oldest castles with stone buildings in the territory of former Hungary.

"The reconstruction resulted in 6 covered closed spaces, the most important of which is the Knight's Hall, three other spaces are located on the first floor and two are basements. The first basement space will be used in the future as an auditorium with projection equipment, in which we will especially welcome school expeditions. Upper the premises will be dedicated to the exhibition, which is currently being prepared and will be accessible to the public at the end of October," explained the director of the castle, Peter Pastier.

In addition to the covered areas, 2 views have also been added. One from the terrace of the west palace and the other from the green roof of the palace that covers the knight's hall and the other two rooms. The director of the castle further informed that the largest covered part of the castle has now been added to the castle. "Not only the western palace, but also the area of the castle chapel and the cellar are covered. As a result, we no longer only rank with standard ruins, but we have moved up a level to castles such as Strečno or Devín," explained Pastier. Thanks to this, the castle can be open to the public all year round.

From October 16 to 20, 2023, the installation of the first phase of the exhibition dedicated to Stibor of Stiborice will take place in the premises of the palace. In November, the upper floor of the palace will be closed to the public. The grand opening of the attractive exhibition is planned for March 2024.

Text: PG

2.10.2023