The romantic, turreted Bojnice Castle is one of Slovakia’s greatest tourist attractions. Rising high above the town, it was originally built in the 12th century. In the 13th century it passed into the hands of the most powerful Hungarian warlord of the time, Matúš Čák. In 1527 the Thurzo family converted the castle into a comfortable Renaissance residence, and in the 19th century its last owner, Count Ján František Pálffy, remodelled it into a stately residence resembling the Gothic castles of France’s Loire valley.