Spiš is a region in north-eastern Slovakia, with a very small area in south-eastern Poland. Spiš is an informal designation of the territory, but it is also the name of one of the 21 official tourism regions of Slovakia. The region is not an administrative division in its own right, but between the late 11th century and 1920 it was an administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary.
Orava Castle is a castle situated on a high rock above Orava river in the village of Oravský Podzámok, Slovakia. The castle was built in the Kingdom of Hungary, with the oldest parts being built in the thirteenth century and the most recent parts in the early seventeenth century. Many scenes of the 1922 film Nosferatu were filmed here, the castle representing Count Orlok's Transylvanian castle.
The ruins of Spiš Castle in eastern Slovakia belong to six largest castles sites in Slovakia. The castle is situated above the town of Spišské Podhradie and the village of Žehra, in the region known as Spiš. It was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1993. The size of the castle area is 3,9 ha. It is administered by the Spiš Museum at Levoča, a division of the Slovak National Museum.
Szepes was an administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary, called Scepusium before the late 19th century. Its territory today lies in northeastern Slovakia, with a very small area in southeastern Poland. For the current region, see Spiš.
Stará Lesná or "Old Forest" is a village and municipality in Kežmarok District in the Prešov Region in north-central Slovakia. Stará Lesná is located in an area traditionally known as Spiš and it is situated within the Slovak Tourism Region of the Tatras.
Lietava Castle is an extensive castle ruin in the Súľov Mountains of northern Slovakia, between the villages of Lietava and Lietavská Svinná-Babkov in the Žilina District.
The ruins of Spiš Castle is one of the largest castle sites in Central Europe. The castle is situated above the town of Spišské Podhradie and the village of Žehra that with adjacent ecclesiastical town Spišská Kapitula form components of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2009, the site was extended to include the famous altar by Master Paul of Levoča and the historic centre of Levoča with many well-preserved Renaissance buildings.
György Thurzó was a prominent Hungarian nobleman and Palatine of Hungary between 1609 and 1616, a position equivalent to a prime minister or viceroy, serving under the rule of the Habsburgs in the early 17th century. He is historically significant for his connection to Elizabeth Báthory, one of the most infamous figures in Hungarian and Slovak history.
János Thurzó was a Hungarian entrepreneur and mining engineer. From 1477 until his death he was an Alderman of Kraków, Poland, and even became its mayor for a while.
The Banate of Severin or Banate of Szörény was a Hungarian political, military and administrative unit with a special role in the initially anti-Bulgarian, latterly anti-Ottoman defensive system of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary. It was founded by Prince Béla in 1228.
Count George Zápolya de Szepes was a Hungarian magnate, son of Palatine Stephen Zápolya and younger brother of King John I of Hungary. He served as Hereditary Lord Lieutenant of Szepes County.
Baron Zsigmond Forgách de Ghymes et Gács, sometimes Sigismund Forgách, was a Hungarian nobleman in the Kingdom of Hungary, who served as Palatine from 11 May 1618 to 23 June 1621.
Count István Esterházy de Galántha was a member of the wealthy Hungarian Esterházy family, eldest son of Palatine Nicholas Esterházy and his first wife, Baroness Orsolya Dersffy.
Baroness Krisztina Nyáry de Bedegh was the daughter of Baron Pál Nyáry and Katalin Várday de Kisvárda. She was the second wife of Palatine Nikolaus, Count Esterházy. Her son, among others, was Paul I, Prince Esterházy.
Count Imre Thurzó de Bethlenfalva was a Hungarian aristocrat, son of Palatine György Thurzó, who served as Perpetual Ispán of Árva County between 1616 and 1621. Count Imre also functioned as Rector of the University of Wittenberg from 1616 to 1621. He was the last male member of the prestigious Thurzó family.
Baroness Erzsébet Czobor de Czoborszentmihály was the second wife of Palatine György Thurzó.
Jan V Thurzo was a 15th-century Bishop of Wrocław in Silesia, now Poland. A great patron and lover of the arts and sciences, Martin Luther called him "the greatest bishop of the century".
Stanislav I Thurzo was a bishop of the Diocese of Olomouc. Although a Catholic, he was the son of János Thurzó, a protestant Hungarian nobleman of the Thurzó family who was mayor of Kraków, and his first wife, Ursula Boehm. He was educated at Padua in theology and law and was made canon in Olomouc.
Pál Pálffy ab Erdőd was a Hungarian noble and Palatine of Hungary.
John Ernuszt de Csáktornya, Jr., also known as John Hampó, was a Hungarian baron, who served as Ban of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia between 1508 and 1510.
Habsburg Monarchy 
Austrian Empire 
Austria-Hungary 
Kingdom of Hungary 