Krásna Hôrka is a castle in Slovakia, towering over the village Krásnohorské Podhradie near Rožňava, Košice Region. The first written mention of the castle is from 1333. Since 1961, Krásna Hôrka is a National Cultural Monument of the Slovak Republic.
It was said to be one of the country's "best-preserved" castles, but unfortunately, much of it was damaged by a fire on March 10, 2012.
Article in the Huffington Post
BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Two Slovak children were suspected of burning down a large gothic castle in eastern Slovakia when their experimentation with smoking went wrong, police said on Sunday.
Police were investigating two boys on suspicion that they set grass at the foot of the Krasna Horka castle on fire on Saturday when they tried to light up cigarettes, said Jana Mesarova, police spokeswoman for the eastern Slovak region of Kosice. Children under the age of 15 cannot be prosecuted in Slovakia.
"A unit sent to the site found that two local boys aged 11 and 12 were trying to light up a cigarette and because of careless use of safety matches, they set grass at the castle hill on fire," Mesarova said.
The castle subsequently caught fire and emergency services deployed 84 firefighters to the scene.
The Slovak National Museum wrote on its Facebook page that damage to the castle was extensive but about 90 percent of historical collections were saved, including contemporary photographs of furnished castle premises from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, oil paintings and various ornaments.
"The castle's roof burned down completely, as well as the new exhibition in the gothic palace and the bell tower. Three bells melted," the museum said.
The castle, near the UNESCO-protected Domica Cave, dates back to the early 14th century.
(Reporting by Martin Santa and Jan Lopatka; Editing by Karolina Tagaris)
And from MSN.com:
Kids burn down Slovak castle but won't go to Slovak juvie
1 day ago
A couple of Slovakian boys aged 11 and 12 had a weekend they'll long remember. Seems the mischievous duo were trying to light up cigarettes when they set some grass afire, and before they knew it, a castle in the eastern Slovak region of Kosice was in flames. The Krasna Horka castle dates back to the early 14th century. According to the Slovak National Museum, the castle's roof was completely destroyed along with the new exhibition in the gothic palace, and three bells in the bell tower melted. Some 84 firefighters were dispatched to the scene. Fortunately for the young smokers, children under the age of 15 cannot be prosecuted in Slovakia.
