Lubovna Castle
Lubovna Castle
4.6
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Are you currently on your trip?
Help us find experiences available for you.
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
13 within 5 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.6
209 reviews
Excellent
136
Very good
59
Average
12
Poor
1
Terrible
1
These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.
Julian D
28 contributions
Sept 2024 • Family
We spent two hours at the castle as there are some interesting displays that give you lots of the local history. Don't miss the views from the top of the tower! I recommend buying a combined ticket with the local wooden village museum which is beautifully curated.
Written 6 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rishabh Mahajan
Ota, Japan179 contributions
Jul 2022
I didn't know how easy it would be to bring my 87 years old grandfather to this place as they allowed them to be driven up until the Castle Door.
Despite my grandfather's age, he could walk up to the 2nd level of the castle and enjoy the beautiful artifacts and the city view.
I would recommend visiting this castle to everyone who be visiting the city.
Despite my grandfather's age, he could walk up to the 2nd level of the castle and enjoy the beautiful artifacts and the city view.
I would recommend visiting this castle to everyone who be visiting the city.
Written 14 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PL2w
Alkmaar, The Netherlands591 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
Located near the museum village. After a brisk walk up, the tour through the castle is fairly clearly signposted. The tour is quite extensive and takes you past many sights. For us it ended in a bird of prey show. There are cannons!
Written 18 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Inaki G
Donostia - San Sebastian, Spain279 contributions
Aug 2020
Went from Poland to spend half day in this castle, with my family. Really worth the visit. Well organised, explained and nice historical place. Kids enjoyed a lot. Views from the tower, are really enjoyable.
Located in the outskirts of Stara Lubovna, 15km away from the Polish border.
In the same complex, there is also a Skansen (place reproducing how people were living centuries ago).
With the same ticket, you have access to all: castle & Skansen.
Will probably come back to have also a walk in Stara Lubovna as we had to come back and could not do so.
Located in the outskirts of Stara Lubovna, 15km away from the Polish border.
In the same complex, there is also a Skansen (place reproducing how people were living centuries ago).
With the same ticket, you have access to all: castle & Skansen.
Will probably come back to have also a walk in Stara Lubovna as we had to come back and could not do so.
Written 3 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AvantiPopolo
Tel Aviv, Israel68 contributions
Jul 2014 • Friends
this is certainly a great place to visit and learn about the life of local aristocracy in a span of several hundred years.
however, our very positive experience was somewhat marred by the fact, that local politics contaminated exhibition in the newly renovated renaissance building. in the middle of the exposition about how the bear was made here during the 18 century there was a marble block thanking slovakian prime minister fico for donating money for reconstruction of the building.
now, why a foreign tourist should be bother by a politics during exposition on bear making is beyond my understanding, moreover if these were (how it was explained to me) a public money, not private ones. so clearly, before elections the politician decided to give some public money and somebody with the power over the castle museum decided to give him a payback and thanked him not by function "prime minister", but by name "fico" even so he was not a private donor. which is completely unethical, not to mention annoying.
when i see renaissance expositions, i do not want to get involved in 21. century politics - especially when it seems so insignificant on the background of this otherwise very well prepared museum. i am writing this with the hope, that more people will complain and the politics will be de-coupled from the exhibit, the marble block removed or the wording changed, so that foreign or even local visitors are not bothered by power fights of local politicians.
however, our very positive experience was somewhat marred by the fact, that local politics contaminated exhibition in the newly renovated renaissance building. in the middle of the exposition about how the bear was made here during the 18 century there was a marble block thanking slovakian prime minister fico for donating money for reconstruction of the building.
now, why a foreign tourist should be bother by a politics during exposition on bear making is beyond my understanding, moreover if these were (how it was explained to me) a public money, not private ones. so clearly, before elections the politician decided to give some public money and somebody with the power over the castle museum decided to give him a payback and thanked him not by function "prime minister", but by name "fico" even so he was not a private donor. which is completely unethical, not to mention annoying.
when i see renaissance expositions, i do not want to get involved in 21. century politics - especially when it seems so insignificant on the background of this otherwise very well prepared museum. i am writing this with the hope, that more people will complain and the politics will be de-coupled from the exhibit, the marble block removed or the wording changed, so that foreign or even local visitors are not bothered by power fights of local politicians.
Written 22 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BklynBorn47
Moneta, VA193 contributions
Jun 2014 • Family
I’ve visited Stara Lubovna castle twice before. Each time we were impressed with the additional restoration and explanatory exhibits. This time we brought our daughter and family to see it and once again there was even more to enjoy.
The explanation of the history is well done in several languages, including English. Over hundreds of years the land was controlled by Austria, Hungary and Poland although much of the surrounding population was Slovak and Rusyn (Ruthenian).
It’s a self guided tour unless you are part of a group. We liked this arrangement since we were able to spend as much time as we wanted in each area – the family rooms, the great hall, the tower, the artillery, the chapel, the underground chambers and the view of the surrounding countryside.
There was armor set out which the children were allowed to try on. Great photos!
A demonstration of trained birds of prey was very well done. This year there were benches set up so people could rest during the program.
This castle is of special interest to me since my grandmother’s village (Sambron), which she left in 1900, is only a few kilometers away. However, we have visited dozens of castles throughout Europe, including the very well known ones and I believe this site is well worth the visit even without the family heritage connection.
I suggest continuing your visit in the “Skanzen”(open air museum) below to learn about the lives of the people in the villages. Here 19th and early 20th century buildings have been gathered from around the country. The wooden Greek (Byzantine) Catholic Church with its icons is amazing. The school, homes, workshops, & farm buildings are very well organized on the map and each building has additional information in several languages, including English.
Since our last visit we have observed many additions and improvements.
There was a large photoboard with a life-size picture of a family as they appeared 100 years ago. The young girl in the picture looked surprisingly like our 12 year old granddaughter. A definite Slovak gene is at work here. This area was the source of tremendous immigration to the USA especially to northeastern PA, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Cleveland.
English is not commonly spoken in this part of the country, but they have made a great effort to accommodate us. Initially, we were greeted by a volunteer who spoke English, explained the first stop on the map (the church) and helpfully answered our questions.
There were several stands of lovely crafts and local foods at excellent prices. We bought wood carvings and gingerbread.
The volunteers were so friendly and patient with my “broken Slovak.” Their love of preserving their heritage is obvious. I recommend this site to anyone interested in history and especially anyone whose ancestors immigrated from this region.
After our tour, we ate in the restaurant. The food was good and the prices were reasonable.
Once you have explored the lives of the noble and peasant classes, don’t miss the exhibit of the lives of the middle class in the museum on the main square of the town.
The tour is conducted by Maya who speaks excellent English. This house of a craftsman contains furniture of the period including a working pump organ and manikins in period clothing. In addition to her explanation of the exhibits, Maya told us many entertaining tales and legends of the area.
We made souvenirs with the antique coin press, learned about the process of producing patterned cloth and observed a demonstration of how paper was once made by hand.
All three sites together create a wonderful window into history.
The explanation of the history is well done in several languages, including English. Over hundreds of years the land was controlled by Austria, Hungary and Poland although much of the surrounding population was Slovak and Rusyn (Ruthenian).
It’s a self guided tour unless you are part of a group. We liked this arrangement since we were able to spend as much time as we wanted in each area – the family rooms, the great hall, the tower, the artillery, the chapel, the underground chambers and the view of the surrounding countryside.
There was armor set out which the children were allowed to try on. Great photos!
A demonstration of trained birds of prey was very well done. This year there were benches set up so people could rest during the program.
This castle is of special interest to me since my grandmother’s village (Sambron), which she left in 1900, is only a few kilometers away. However, we have visited dozens of castles throughout Europe, including the very well known ones and I believe this site is well worth the visit even without the family heritage connection.
I suggest continuing your visit in the “Skanzen”(open air museum) below to learn about the lives of the people in the villages. Here 19th and early 20th century buildings have been gathered from around the country. The wooden Greek (Byzantine) Catholic Church with its icons is amazing. The school, homes, workshops, & farm buildings are very well organized on the map and each building has additional information in several languages, including English.
Since our last visit we have observed many additions and improvements.
There was a large photoboard with a life-size picture of a family as they appeared 100 years ago. The young girl in the picture looked surprisingly like our 12 year old granddaughter. A definite Slovak gene is at work here. This area was the source of tremendous immigration to the USA especially to northeastern PA, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Cleveland.
English is not commonly spoken in this part of the country, but they have made a great effort to accommodate us. Initially, we were greeted by a volunteer who spoke English, explained the first stop on the map (the church) and helpfully answered our questions.
There were several stands of lovely crafts and local foods at excellent prices. We bought wood carvings and gingerbread.
The volunteers were so friendly and patient with my “broken Slovak.” Their love of preserving their heritage is obvious. I recommend this site to anyone interested in history and especially anyone whose ancestors immigrated from this region.
After our tour, we ate in the restaurant. The food was good and the prices were reasonable.
Once you have explored the lives of the noble and peasant classes, don’t miss the exhibit of the lives of the middle class in the museum on the main square of the town.
The tour is conducted by Maya who speaks excellent English. This house of a craftsman contains furniture of the period including a working pump organ and manikins in period clothing. In addition to her explanation of the exhibits, Maya told us many entertaining tales and legends of the area.
We made souvenirs with the antique coin press, learned about the process of producing patterned cloth and observed a demonstration of how paper was once made by hand.
All three sites together create a wonderful window into history.
Written 22 June 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ziellona
90 contributions
Apr 2019
The story of my visits in Lubovna castles starts in times when I was volunteer guide for British tourists... They were not able to recognize all Polish / Slovak and Lemks names. Therefore I told them a story about the owner - Ian Zamoyski - who was the Polish Duke and won this castle together with surrounded villages, during gambling in Monaco or wherever it was... Anyway - starting from this moment all my tourists were able to find those ruins in horizon, to find it in the map and to name it... OK - the name was difficult so... "THIS GAMBLED CASTLE"...
Definitely this is one of the best points to visit in this part of Slovakia (Zamagurie), together with open-air museum beneath it, it is a place when you can spend whole day and come back next day.
ALthough the castle is ruined, you can spend here really whole day. Means the ruins are in quite good condition plus exhibitions are interesting and colorful. Moreover - here are also the historical events orrganized (in summer season).
Definitely "MUST TO VISIT" on Slovakia map. Of course together with open air museum...
Definitely this is one of the best points to visit in this part of Slovakia (Zamagurie), together with open-air museum beneath it, it is a place when you can spend whole day and come back next day.
ALthough the castle is ruined, you can spend here really whole day. Means the ruins are in quite good condition plus exhibitions are interesting and colorful. Moreover - here are also the historical events orrganized (in summer season).
Definitely "MUST TO VISIT" on Slovakia map. Of course together with open air museum...
Written 28 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David
Poprad, Slovakia98 contributions
Aug 2021
I used to come here as a kid. It went through renovation. You can learn a lot of history from the place and it is kid friendly.
Written 23 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AllWhoWander71
Altoona, PA144 contributions
Aug 2017 • Friends
This is the Slovak equivalent of Colonial Williamsburg. It's quite interesting to see how people lived in Slovakia hundreds of years ago. Beautiful views from this unique piece of history.
Written 3 August 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your visit and for the likeness :)
Have a nice day
Written 19 August 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
1796
Springfield, VA615 contributions
Jul 2015 • Family
Our Family of Four visited the Castle. The children really enjoyed playing chess in the courtyard. This castle is not huge like Spissky Hrad, but it's quality is phenomenal. You walk up a hill to get to it, and there are other activities on the way walking to it. When you reach the castle, which is in a good shape and oversees the whole area nearby, it is filled with various displays and information (translated in Slovak, English and Polish. You keep walking to the top of the main tower, and the sights from it are magnificent. We watched a falconry display for about an hour in the upper courtyard, which was very enjoyable and held the children's intent interest. If you get hungry, you will come by a restaurant at the bottom of the castle. Highly Recommended.
Written 13 September 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Showing results 1-1 of 1
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing