Spiš Castle
| Spiš Castle (Spišský hrad) | |
| Castle | |
 Spiš Castle
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| Country | Slovakia |
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| Region | Košice |
| District | Spišská Nová Ves |
| Municipality | Žehra |
| Elevation | 634 m (2,080 ft) |
| Coordinates | 49°00′02″N 20°46′06″E / 49.00056°N 20.76833°ECoordinates: 49°00′02″N 20°46′06″E / 49.00056°N 20.76833°E |
| Area | 41,426 m2 (445,906 sq ft) |
| Styles | Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance |
| Material | Masonry |
| Founded | 12th century |
| Abandoned | 1760 |
| Visitation | 170,000 (2006) |
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Name | Levoča, Spišský Hrad and the Associated Cultural Monuments |
| Year | 1993 (#17) |
| Number | 620 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| Criteria | iv |
   Location of Spiš Castle in Slovakia
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  Location of Spiš Castle in the Košice Region
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The ruins of Spiš Castle (Slovak: Spišský hrad, 
pronunciation ; Hungarian: Szepesi vár; German: Zipser Burg) in eastern Slovakia form one of the largest castle sites in Central Europe. The castle is situated above the town of Spišské Podhradie and the village of Žehra, in the region known as Spiš (Hungarian: Szepes, German: Zips, Polish: Spisz, Latin: Scepusium). It was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1993 (together with the adjacent locations of Spišská Kapitula, Spišské Podhradie and Žehra). This is one of the biggest European castles by area (41 426 m²).
Spiš Castle was built in the 12th century on the site of an earlier castle. It was the political, administrative, economic and cultural centre of Szepes County of the Kingdom of Hungary. Before 1464, it was owned by the kings of Hungary, afterwards (until 1528) by the Zápolya family, the Thurzó family (1531–1635), the Csáky family (1638–1945), аnd (since 1945) by the state of Czechoslovakia then Slovakia.
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