Darkness, moisture, smell and deadly silence cut by screams of a frightened girl. Even the bravest ones would shiver upon seeing such a scene with their own eyes. A whiplash and throaty laughter of the Bloody Countess drowned out by desperate laments of her youthful victims… Mysterious Čachtice dungeons will give you goosebumps.

Today we can only guess what cruel practices was Elizabeth Bathory using on her victims. Given the family history of cruel, tyrannous and pervert predecessors no wonder that Elizabeth turned out just like that. But did she really killed more than 600 young girls? We will leave this to historians to decide. However, if you want to experience the dramatic history of the Bloody Countess, visit these dark dungeons spreading like a spider web underneath the Čachtice castle.

A safe hideout hidden under the ground.

The dungeon was built in the 15th century with a noble purpose - to store wine of Matthias Corvinus. History, however, transformed the dungeon into a safe hideout during Turkish raids. The dungeon had become a work of art full of corridors, hallways and narrow tunnels through which people would crowl to safety. The dungeon was a great advantage to those who were defending the castle - not even an entire regiment would defeat them. The dungeon provided a comfortable space for a long-term stay, it also served as a great storage of wine, fruit, food and grain which stayed fresh for a long time. The dungeon had served as a safe place for centuries. However, the Blood Countess desecrated this dungeon with her horrible deeds performed on her defenseless victims. In 1610 she was caugh torturing her victims and arrested. At last her madness ended.   

Unknown ends of tunnels.  

The tunnels are full of history, the gloomy atmosphere is enhanced by the notion of real historical events that took place on the ground and also within the dungeon. It is almost unbelievable that the dungeon is still in a good condition and its walls still feature various coats of arms and other artefacts. A group of history enthusiasts takes really good care about the dungeon and treats it with love and respect for the Slovak history. The group is also doing a research in the dungeon, sometimes uncovering new tunnels. Visitors thus can view new and new tunnels every now and then and hear stories that had been hidden in the dungeon for centuries.