|
There had been many castle owners during its history: Štefan, Imrich and Jan Zapolsky (1462 – 1527), Hieronym and Albert Lasky (1530 – 1531, 1532 – 1571), Jan Rueber (1571 – 1577).
The Thököly family, namely Sebastian, Štefan I., Štefan II. and Imrich (1579 – 1670, 1678 – 1684) owned the castle for the longest period. Štefan II. Thököly and his son, Imrich, were the well known opponents of the Emperor´s absolutism. After suppression of many uprisings they led, the Emperor ordered to confiscate all the rebels´ property. The same happened in the Kežmarok castle. Currently, the castle´s rooms present life in Kežmarok and its surroundings from the oldest times up to the early 20th century.
The Renaissance intarsia praying bench carved by Kežmarok maestros, Jan and Kristoph Lang, in 1544 ranks among the most precious pieces of the museum collection. Originally, the bench was placed in the Catholic Church of Holy Cross, later it has been replaced to the castle´s chapel. Today, the bench presents a unique example of craftsmen skills. It has represented Kežmarok worldwide at numerous craft and art exhibitions where it was awarded major awards.
