The Cachtice Castle is a castle ruin in Slovakia next to the village of Cachtice. It stands on a hill featuring rare plants, and has been declared a national nature reserve for this reason. The castle was a residence and later the prison of the Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who is alleged to have been the world's most prolific female serial killer.
Cachtice was built in the mid-13th century by Kazimir from the Hont-Pazmány gens as a sentry on the road to Moravia. Later, it belonged to Mate Csak, the Stibor family, and then to the famous Bloody Lady Elizabeth Bathory. Cachtice, its surrounding lands and villages, was a wedding gift from the Nadasdy family upon Elizabeth's marriage to Ferenc Nadasdy in 1575.
Originally, Cachtice was a Romanesque castle with an interesting horseshoe shaped residence tower. It was turned into a Gothic castle later and its size was increased in the 15th and 16th centuries. A Renaissance renovation followed in the 17th century. Finally, in 1708 the castle was captured and plundered by the rebels of Ferenc II Rakoci AKA Francis II Rakoczi. It has been in decay since.
