Catalog number: FPL07OH

Philatelic Commemorative Sheet - Orava Castle

Philatelic Commemorative Sheet Slovakia 2007 - Orava Castle - Joint Issue with San Marino.

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Philatelic Commemorative Sheet Slovakia 2007 - Orava Castle - joint issue with San Marino.
Author: acad. painter Rudolf Cigánik
Issue number: 022 PaL 403/07
Date of issue: 24.08.2007

Specification
The castle elevation, on which the stone dominant of the Orava region stands, was inhabited already in prehistoric times. In the later Hallstatt period, settlements with rampart fortifications gradually began to be built, and such a settlement also arose in Oravský Podzámok on the castle hill, becoming a certain foundation for the future castle. The first written mention of Orava Castle dates back to 1267, when the then ruler Béla IV acquired the castle. The current form of the castle complex was created through gradual construction and reconstructions of defensive, residential, and economic buildings in the Upper, Middle, and Lower Castle areas from the 13th to the 20th century. Each part is evidence of various architectural styles – from Romanesque, through Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, to Romanticism. The highest part – the Citadel, dating from the 13th century, is one of the oldest objects of Orava Castle. In the 15th century, Matthias Corvinus had a residential palace and defensive walls built in the Middle Castle and Lower Castle. In the first half of the 16th century, John of Dubovec improved the fortification conditions of the castle by constructing two bastions, a second gate with a drawbridge, and structural modifications of the walls in the Lower Castle area. At the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, the owners of Orava Castle – the Thurzós, gradually rebuilt and fortified the castle. During this period, the complex of buildings in the Lower Castle was completed, where a residential palace, the Chapel of St. Michael, a rectory building, a terrace, and a new entrance first gate were created. In 1800, the castle was struck by a devastating fire. Partial modifications took place in the years 1906 -1912 and later, during the general repair between 1953 – 1968, the castle was comprehensively repaired. Orava Castle is currently managed by the Orava Museum P. O. Hviezdoslav with its headquarters in Dolný Kubín. Mgr. Iveta Floreková

source: pofis.sk