Ostrý Kameň Castle

Ostrý Kameň Castle — known in German as Burg Scharfenstein — is the ruin of a Gothic hilltop fortress dating to the early 14th century, perched on the western slope of Záruby, the highest peak of the Little Carpathians, above the village of Buková in the Trnava district. The castle once guarded trade routes between the Vienna Basin and the lowlands west of Bratislava. Listed as a protected monument in Slovakia, the ruin is accessible via hiking trails from Buková or along the Záruby ridge. The crumbling keep rewards the climb with wide panoramic views across the Little Carpathians and, on clear days, as far as the Morava plain.