Likava

Likava Castle (Slovak: Likavský hrad) is a castle in the village of Likavka which is a part of the Ružomberok District in Slovakia. It is mostly in ruins. Likava Castle is located in the north-western region of Liptov. The Castle was first mentioned in 1315. Its construction started with the purpose of establishing a defensive point overseeing the crossing of the river Váh and the trade route extending from the Váh Basin to Orava and onward to Poland. The Hunyady family, who owned the Castle, progressively expanded and renovated the main structure, adding what is known as the lower Castle during the latter half of the 15th century. By the second half of the 17th century, the Thökölys completed the entire fortification system; however, it proved ineffective as it failed to prevent the catastrophe at the start of the 18th century, when the retreating forces of Francis Rákoczi completely pulled down the Castle in 1707.