Čachtice

Čachtice (pronounced [ˈtʂaxcitse], Hungarian: Csejte) is a village in Nové Mesto nad Váhom District in western Slovakia with a population of 4,010 (as of 2014).

The village is situated between the Danubian Lowland and the Little Carpathians. It is best known for the ruins of the nearby Čachtice Castle, home of Erzsébet Báthory. The castle stands on a hill featuring rare plants, and the area was declared a national nature reserve (Čachtický hradný vrch) for this reason.

The municipality lies at an altitude of 182 metres (597 ft)^[3] and covers an area of 32.56 km² (12.57 sq mi) (2024).^[4]

Prehistoric settlements from the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, Hallstatt period, La Tène period, Roman periods and the early Slavic period have been found here.

The first written reference to the village dates from 1263. Čachtice has received the status of a town in 1392, but it was later degraded back to a village. In 1847 the parsonage was the meeting place of the first Slovak national and cultural society Tatrín, at which the definitive decision to use the central Slovak dialects as the basis for the new standard of the codified Slovak language was adopted. Before the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia in 1918, Čachtice was part of Nyitra County within the Kingdom of Hungary. From 1939 to 1945, it was part of the Slovak Republic.

It has a population of 3605 people (31 December 2024).^[6]

In year 2021 was 3703 people by ethnicity 3473 as Slovak, 206 as Not found out, 18 as Czech, 11 as Romani, 8 as Other, 7 as Hungarian, 6 as Moravian, 5 as Russian, 4 as Ukrainian, 3 as Italian, 3 as English, 2 as German, 2 as Canadian, 1 as Jewish, 1 as Vietnamese, 1 as Serbian, 1 as Rusyn, 1 as Romanian and 1 as Austrian.

Note on population

The difference between the population numbers above and in the census (here and below) is that the population numbers above are mostly made up of permanent residents, etc.; and the census should indicate the place where people actually mainly live. For example, a student is a citizen of a village because he has permanent residence there (he lived there as a child and has parents), but most of the time he studies at a university in the city.

In year 2021 was 3703 people by religion 2312 from Roman Catholic Church, 915 from None, 227 from Not found out, 161 from Evangelical Church, 17 from Christian Congregations in Slovakia, 12 from Greek Catholic Church, 12 from Ad hoc movements, 7 from Other and not ascertained christian church, 6 from Calvinist Church, 6 from Jehovah's Witnesses, 6 from Other, 5 from Eastern Orthodox Church, 5 from Buddhism, 3 from Islam, 2 from Paganism and natural spirituality, 2 from United Methodist Church, 2 from Apostolic Church, 1 from Jewish community, 1 from Hinduism and 1 from Czechoslovak Hussite Church.

The castle was built in the 13th century in order to protect a trade route to Moravia. The most famous owner was the Countess Erzsébet Báthory, who was imprisoned in her own castle and died there in 1614. The castle was abandoned in 1708 and now lies in ruins. Recently, the castle has undergone minor reconstructions.

• Čachtice Castle from the air
• Čachtice Castle from the air
• Čachtice Castle from the air
• Čachtice Castle from the air
• Čachtice Castle
• Čachtice Castle surviving tower

The records for genealogical research are available at the state archive "Statny Archiv in Bratislava, Slovakia"

• Roman Catholic church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1661-1921 (parish A)
• Lutheran church records (births/marriages/deaths): 1783-1922 (parish B)

• Čachtice Castle
• Roman Catholic Church of St. Ladislava
• The Marian column
• The Calvary sculpture

• Railway - the village lies on a branchline connecting it with Myjava, Trenčín and Vrbovce approximately 12 times daily.

• Erzsébet Báthory (c.1560–1614) Hungarian countess famous for her notorious cruelty
• Rudolf Strechaj (1914–1962) communist politician
• Jozef Balala (1915–1980) teacher and mathematician

• List of municipalities and towns in Slovakia

• Media related to Čachtice at Wikimedia Commons
• Slovakia Cachtice (Bathory) Castle
• Surnames of living people in Cachtice