Old castle Varín

The ruins of a 13th-century castle in the village of Nezbudská Lúka in the north of Slovakia. His task was to defend the trade route. Initially, it was called "hrad Varin", but when the Strečno Castle was built on the other side of the Vah River in the middle of the 14th century, hrad Varin lost its importance and began to be called the Old Hrad.

Initially, the castle belonged to the Balassych year, then it became the property of Mateusz Czak. As the latter took it over illegally, after his death, the castle was returned to its first owners. In the 14th century, the army was stationed here, so residential and farm buildings were added for the needs of the soldiers. The 15th century brought further changes: a two-story Gothic palace was built. Until the 16th century, the walls were inhabited by Pongracz, who left them when they built a more comfortable and representative chateau in Krasňany. Until the beginning of the 18th century, guards lived in the castle, because it was preserved as a possible defensive bastion. Later it began to fall into disrepair.

Hiking trails lead to the ruins through the picturesque Mala Fatra mountain range. The walls, defensive tower and traces of the palace have been preserved to this day.