Deirdre Younge

The 4 Presidents of the Visegrad Group (Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary) have meet for a Visegrad Group summit at the historical Trenčín Castle in Slovakia. Polish President Karol Nawrocki issued a statement after the summit: “Central Europe can’t merely be a recipient of decisions made by others. We must have real influence on the future of our continent and the world. We can’t accept solutions that weaken European industry, raise the cost of living for families and limit the development of businesses. The strength of Europe must be based on the strength of the member states, their economies, and their citizens. V4 cooperation strengthens our voice in the EU, and Poland’s presence in the G20 gives an opportunity to present Central Europe’s perspective in the world’s most important place for economic debate. It is also an important occasion to strengthen the competitiveness and security of our states. Together, we will actively participate in shaping the future of our continent!” Trenčín Castle is one of Slovakia’s largest and most iconic castles. A famous Latin inscription carved into the cliff below the castle (still visible near what is now the Hotel Elizabeth) records that in 179 AD a detachment of the Roman Legio II Adiutrix, under the command of Marcus Valerius Maximianus, wintered at Laugaricio during the Marcomannic Wars of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. This is among the northernmost evidence of Roman presence in Central Europe. By the 9th century (Great Moravian period) a hillfort and a stone four-apsed rotunda stood here. The medieval castle proper began in the 11th century as a Hungarian border fortress guarding the vital Váh fords and Carpathian passes on trade routes linking northern Hungary, the Central Slovak mining towns, Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, and Poland. The castle’s most famous era came under the powerful oligarch Matúš Čák Trenčiansky. From roughly 1296 until his death in 1321 he ruled a vast, nearly independent domain covering much of what is now Slovakia from Trenčín, controlling dozens of castles (sources variously say around 40–50 or more). The castle successfully resisted the Mongol invasion of 1241, after which the castle was further strengthened. After Čák’s death, the castle returned to the Hungarian crown. In 1335 it hosted the important meeting where the Treaty of Trenčín was signed by the kings of Poland (Casimir III), Hungary (Charles I) and Bohemia (John of Luxembourg, whose son the future Emperor Charles IV was also present). A devastating fire in 1790 destroyed roofs and interiors, with castle then gradually falling into ruin. It has since been restored and now houses the Trenčín Museum with exhibitions on regional history, furniture, weapons, and archaeology.