No respect to tourists who don’t speak Slovakian. The guide spoke only . If .Slovakian and we got a paper in English

Talk about old -- the original Gothic castle was built here in 1230 -- this enormous castle has "seen" so much and undergone so many changes in its nearly thousand-year history that you just have to see it "up close and personal" to believe it. And I don't mean only from the outside. Buy a ticket for the guided tour of your choice AND be sure also to buy one that will allow you to take photographs. We didn't know about the latter requirement and were already starting the tour, so we never got pictures of the interior of this extraordinary place. On the other hand, it is something we will not soon forget. There are short tours and longer ones, in Slovak and sometimes in foreign languages (which cost more), and occasionally some specialzed tours, such as one for kids to show what life was like for the castle's children. The fees are not too bad, maybe 6 to 8 Euros for adults but these include various discounts such as those for seniors or certain card-holders, and children pay far less, just a couple of Euros; age 6 and under are admitted free. The photo tickets are also inexpensive, I think 2 Euros but don't quote me, as I never actually bought one. A general tour here has something for everyone. Overall, it is arranged like a walk-through showing fashionable styles, trends and ways of life from the late 1600s to the first part of the 20th century. Each room, interesting or beautiful in its own way, offers a new "take" on castle life as it evolved through centuries, under different owners until the noble Hungarian family Palffy (who also have properties in Austria) took it over, massively rebuilding and refurbishing it in the 17th century and likely continuing to improve and update it periodically afterwards. The Palffy family lived here continuously until 1945. For me, apart from the glorious fashions, fixtures and furniture in each period room, the best part was the tour of the massive cellars and support structures below the ground. Here the castle gave the appearance of being greatly overbuilt in its footings so that it would endure no matter what. I thought at the time that the below ground structure may actually be larger than the above-ground one. It had a prison, many wine cellars, kitchens and large areas for storage of necessities for daily use and to withstand sieges, an assortment of living quarters, and some very deep, dark places whose purpose I can't even imagine. Most fascinating of all, to me, was how precisely and securely the castle was built from the bottom up, with such remarkable engineering skills, to last...almost forever, it would seem. If you are here exploring for a while, food and drink are available, and there are souvenirs/gifts you can buy at the castle or from the vendors standing just outside the entrance with their wares. Prices asked tend to be high, though, so be prepared to bargain. Highly recommended.