English: Trenčín is a city in western
Slovakia of the central
Váh River valley near the Czech border, around 120 km from
Bratislava. It has a medieval castle, situated on a rock above the city. Trenčín was first mentioned under the Greek name Leukaristos (Λευκάριστος), depicted on the Ptolemy world map around 150 CE. During the course of the
Marcomannic Wars between the
Roman Empire and Germanic
Quadi, the Romans carved an inscription on the rock under the present-day castle in 179 CE and the place was mentioned as Laugaricio. It is the northernmost known presence of the Romans in Central Europe.
The History of
Trenčín Castle goes back to the age of the Roman Empire, testified by the inscription telling about the victory of the II. Roman legion at Laugaricio (Latin name of Trenčín) in 179 AD. The oldest building is a stone rotunda, plausibly founded in the
Great Moravian period. In the midst of the 13th century the castle was the seat of the Baron
Jakab Cseszneky, who was King
Béla IV's swordbearer. Later in the 13-14th century, the castle became the residence of
Matthew III Csák, the legendary "Lord of the river Váh and the Tatra Mountains". He gave name to the Matúš Tower, a keep dominating both the castle silhouette as well as that of the town. The water well is connected to the legend of the Turkish prince Omar and his great love for the beautiful Fatima, whom he had to redeem by digging a well in the rock.
The Scotch Mist Gallery contains many photographs of historic buildings, monuments and memorials of Poland and beyond.