Castles & Ruins in former Czechoslovakia

Okor (pronounced "Oh-kozh") is about 30 minutes from Prague by car. I found it particularly remarkable that it was built not on a high, defensive area - like most castles - but on a small hill that barely rises from a small valley surrounded by farmland. This from a Czech Castles blog : "The Okor village is first mentioned in 1228 as a property of St George Monastery in Prague Castle (klášter sv. Jiří na Pražském hradě). A Gothic castle was built here in 1359 by a wealthy burgher of Prague's Old Town Frantisek Rokycansky, what was quite unusual in those times, when most castles were built by noblemen." Links: Short Video Tour (from Prague.tv) Hotel Okor Okor Open-Air Music Festival

View my other Spissky Hrad photos here .

Spissky Hrad (pronounced "Speesh-skee"), according to historians, dates in various forms back to the Neolithic Period . Located between Poprad and Presov , it offers a 360 degree panorama of the surrounding valleys and distant mountains. These photos were taken on a dismal day in September, 2007, while returning from visits to Michalovce , Kosice , and the Andy Warhol Museum in Medzilaborce (near the Poland border). Links: Spissky Hrad Official Site UNESCO historical evaluation