Novohrad - Šomoška Castle

Near the border village of Šiatorská Bukovinka, on a conical basalt rock in the Cerová Highlands, stands the ruins of the Gothic Šomoška Castle. This unusual structure from the late 13th or early 14th century (after the Tatar invasion) was built from hexagonal basalt columns. Its builders had it quite easy, as they quarried the material directly from the castle hill.

You can see this Slovak unique sight up close if you follow the green hiking trail. A moderately demanding walk with a slight ascent at the end awaits you, lasting about 40 minutes. The parking lot is located near Šimon's Tower. The Šomoška Nature Trail with 8 information panels will guide you around the castle. The geological attractions of Šomoška are among the most famous locations on the Slovak side of the international Novohrad-Nógrád Global Geopark UNESCO. A major attraction on the route is the Mačacia lookout tower and the European unique stone waterfall (9 meters high). Right next to it, in the middle of the forest, the stone sea has emerged, its surface covered with fragments of basalt columns.