Leopoldov Prison: a Baroque star fortress that became a jail
Leopoldov Prison (Väznica Leopoldov) occupies the former Leopoldov fortress, a star-shaped Baroque stronghold founded by Emperor Leopold I in the town of Leopoldov in western Slovakia. Its walls, bastions and a few historic buildings survive as a protected monument, but the site is a working prison, so it is a place to understand from the outside and from its history.
Built in 1665–69 as a star-shaped bulwark against the Ottomans, Leopoldov never fought them in earnest. In 1855 the fortress became a prison, and it still serves as one today.
The history of Leopoldov Prison
The Leopoldov fortress was born of a defeat. On 26 September 1663 the Ottomans captured the fortress of Nové Zámky, and Emperor Leopold I ordered a new, modern stronghold to protect the region. The foundation stone was laid in 1665 on marshy ground bought from nearby villages, and the fortress was ready by 1669. It was named after the emperor: Leopoldopolis in Latin, Leopoldstadt in German, Lipótvár in Hungarian. The design is credited to the military engineer Giuseppe Priami, under the supervision of Field Marshal Louis Raduit de Souches, and about 3,000 workers from Bavaria and Moravia built it for an initial garrison of 500.
The fortress was laid out as a star with six bastions joined by curtain walls, covering some 56 hectares inside walls 9.5 metres high. It never saw heavy fighting with the Turks. Its real tests came in the Kuruc uprisings, when it resisted several sieges between 1697 and 1706, and in 1848–49, when Hungarian insurgents held it until its commander surrendered to imperial troops on 2 February 1849. After 1725 it served mainly as a military store, and Joseph II visited in 1770 and 1783 and set up a home for invalid soldiers.
Its military role faded, and on 28 October 1855 Emperor Franz Joseph I signed a decree turning the fortress into an imperial-royal prison. In 1856 it was already the largest prison in Austria-Hungary, with 733 convicts from Upper Hungary, Transdanubia and northern Italy. In 1858 the administration passed to the Sisters of Mercy of St Vincent from Austria, whose director Friederika Baumgartner removed the prisoners' shackles, improved conditions and food and cut the yearly death toll from 150 to 50. The outer defences, ravelins and moat were levelled in the 1850s, but several historic buildings, among them the so-called Castle, the former commander's building and the hospital, still stand.
In the 20th century the prison took on a darker role. After 1948 the Communist regime held political prisoners here, and the 1950s were the worst period. Church figures, among them bishops, non-communist politicians, intellectuals and poets were imprisoned, and some died as a result of harsh treatment, among them the blessed bishops Pavol Peter Gojdič and Metod Dominik Trčka. The future president Gustáv Husák was held here from 1954 to 1960. In the same decade the sacral monuments of the fortress, including the Church of St Leopold, were destroyed.
The fortress was declared a National Cultural Monument on 17 September 1963. After the Velvet Revolution, unrest broke out among prisoners in 1990 and a fire destroyed the roof of the Castle; in November 1991 an escape cost the lives of five prison officers. The closure voted in 1990 was reversed in 1993, and the Castle was handed over restored in 2004. Today Leopoldov remains one of the largest prisons in Slovakia, run by the Corps of Prison and Court Guard, with a capacity of over 1,400 people.
Curiosities about Leopoldov Prison
- The planned bastion names, Chigi, Ungeria, Boemia, Moravia, Silesia and Ustria, and the gate names Porta Alessandrina and Porta Gonzaga were never officially adopted, for reasons that are unclear.
- Locals gave the fortress the nickname Opold, while the official names were Leopoldopolis in Latin, Leopoldstadt in German and Lipótvár in Hungarian.
- In 1674–75, during the Counter-Reformation, Protestant intellectuals were held here. Two of them, Ján Simonides and Tobiáš Masník, escaped on the way to the galleys at Naples and later described their ordeal in a well-known Baroque work, Incarceratio, liberatio et peregrinatio.
- The town of Leopoldov was founded at the same time as the fortress to house the craftsmen from Bavaria and Moravia who built it.
- The fortress covers 56 hectares, and its inner town only about 17 hectares; its walls were 9.5 metres high.
- The Castle, the oldest and most striking building of the fortress, was restored over four years and handed over again in 2004 after the fire of 1990.
Tours near Leopoldov Prison
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Seeing Leopoldov Prison
- Leopoldov is a working prison, so the fortress is not an ordinary visitor attraction, and the sources do not describe any public tours. Check the current situation before you go, and expect to see only the entrance and the outer area.
- The site is a National Cultural Monument. The old fortress buildings that survive inside include the Castle, the former commander's building and the hospital, but they are part of the prison grounds.
- A memorial stands at the prison, recalling those who suffered here; visit with respect.
- Other places on this site within about 22 km include the City Tower in Trnava, the Kolonádový most, the Church of Stephen I of Hungary and the Church and monastery of St Catherine of Alexandria.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Leopoldov Prison is
Photos of Leopoldov Prison
Questions
What is Leopoldov Prison?
Leopoldov Prison is a Slovak prison housed in the former Leopoldov fortress in the town of Leopoldov. The fortress was built in 1665–69 and turned into a prison in 1855.
Why was the Leopoldov fortress built?
Emperor Leopold I ordered it after the Ottomans captured Nové Zámky in 1663, as a modern stronghold to defend the region.
Is Leopoldov still a prison?
Yes. It is run by the Corps of Prison and Court Guard and has a capacity of over 1,400 people, while parts of the old fortress are protected as monuments.
Can you visit Leopoldov Prison?
The sources do not describe public visits to this working prison. Check the current situation before travelling and treat the site with respect.
Who was held in Leopoldov Prison?
Among those held here under the Communist regime were the future president Gustáv Husák and church figures such as the blessed bishops Pavol Peter Gojdič and Metod Dominik Trčka.
What shape is the Leopoldov fortress?
It was laid out as a star with six bastions linked by curtain walls, covering about 56 hectares, a design drawing on Italian and old German fortification schools.
Also nearby
City Tower (Trnava)
Trnava · Renaissance tower topped by a Madonna with two faces
16 km away
Kolonádový most
Piešťany · Slovakia's longest covered bridge, with etched glass
17 km away
Church of St Stephen, Piešťany
Piešťany · Empire-style parish church of 1828–1832
18 km away
Church and Monastery of St Catherine of Alexandria (Katarínka)
Dechtice · ruined monastery reached only on foot
22 km away