The fortress is open to visitors year-round, but tours during the winter months are conducted depending on the weather conditions.
For safety reasons, tours of the Fortress are only available with a guided tour, in accordance with the specified Rules and Opening Hours.
Individual visits (without a guide) are not possible due to the unsatisfactory condition and the size of the Fortress!
The minimal number of visitors required for a tour is 4.
Visitors are advised to wear comfortable hiking shoes, as the tours take place outdoors for approximately 1 to 1.5 hours.
We also recommend bringing flashlights, as the tour route passes through dark underground corridors. The total length of the tour is approximately 1.5 km.
The fortress can also be visited with wheelchairs, prams and dogs (however, dogs must be kept on a leash and must be provided with muzzles).
It is strictly forbidden to move around the Fortress outside the visiting route and without a guide! Climbing to the top of the earth mounds is forbidden! There is the risk of falling down or getting injured!
Parents or accompanying adults are responsible for the safety and behaviour of their children!
During the tour, our visitors will learn the rich and interesting history of the fortress from professional guides.
New Fortress
The medieval town of Komárno once stood on the site of the present New Fortress. At the end of the 16th century, it was nearly completely destroyed by Imperial soldiers and the Ottomans besieging the fortress. The remnants of the old town were entirely removed during the construction of the New Fortress.
Construction of the so-called New Fortress began in 1654 under the command of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor. The purpose of building the New Fortress was to protect the outdated Old Fortress. The rapid completion of the New Fortress was spurred by the Ottoman conquest of the fortress in Nové Zámky in 1663/1664. As a result, Emperor Leopold I ordered the construction of Fortress Leopoldov near Hlohovec and the swift completion of the New Fortress in Komárno. The fortress had a pentagon-shaped ground plan with five dense bastions.
After southern Hungary was liberated from Ottoman occupation in 1699, the importance of the Fortress in Komárno diminished. In 1763 and 1783, Komárno was struck by two powerful earthquakes, causing significant damage to the Fortress. Due to the unprofitability of its restoration, the Fortress was sold at a public auction.
The Fortress regained attention following the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. In 1808, the entire New Fortress was rebuilt using bricks, forming what was known as the Crownwork with three bastions. The Army barracks were constructed in 1810, and the Headquarters Building was completed in 1815.
A wide, deep ditch surrounded the New Fortress, which was flooded using water from the Danube or the Váh rivers.
Leopold’s Gate
The main entrance to the Fortress in Komárno is named after Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (1685-1705), who ordered the completion of the New Fortress. In the past, a wooden bridge led to the gate, which was protected by a chain bridge.
After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the gate was damaged several times. A partial restoration took place in 1992, and in 2013, it underwent a complete renovation, during which the Habsburg coat of arms featuring the double-headed eagle was reinstated on top of the watchtower.
Statue of the Stone Virgin
The statue of a young girl, symbolizing the invincibility of the Fortress, is located at the westernmost tip of the Madonna Bastion in the New Fortress. The girl holds a laurel wreath in her hand, and beneath the statue is a Latin inscription, “NEC ARTE NEC MARTE,” meaning “Neither by trick nor by force.”
According to legend, the statue represents a girl who, during a Ottoman siege of the fortress, decided to set the Ottoman camp on fire. The Imperial soldiers ultimately succeeded in defending the Fortress and expelling the Turks from Komárno.
Army Barracks
The building is a two-storey “U”-shaped structure, designed to mirror the shape of the walls of the New Fortress. It was constructed in 1810 to house approximately 2,000 to 2,500 soldiers. In the center of the building, there was a small chapel.
At 540 meters in length, it is one of the longest buildings in Central Europe.
During the Soviet occupation, the Fortress housed about 4,000 soldiers. After the withdrawal of the Soviet Army, the building fell into a state of disrepair.
Part of the roof structure was renovated in 2015, thanks to a financial subsidy from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
In front of the building is a large courtyard, known as the “buzerak” (parade ground, in military slang).
Headquarters Building
The residential building for the officers and commanders of the Fortress was constructed in 1815. After the completion of the Officers’ Pavilion near the city center (1858-1863), the headquarters building in the New Fortress became the central command for the entire fortification system.
It served military purposes until 2003, when it was used by the Slovak Army as barracks for the research corps 3853.
Gunpowder Depot of St. Barbara
This is a military ammunition store, built at the beginning of the 19th century to store gunpowder in small barrels during times of war or threat.
It served this purpose until the Fortress was occupied by the Soviet Army, at which point it was repurposed as a laundry, as well as a storage area for fuel and lubricants.
Today, after its complete reconstruction, the ammunition depot is used as an exhibition and lecture hall.
Old Fortress
The Old Fortress is the oldest part of the fortification system, built in the 16th century as one of the first bastion fortresses against the Turks in Hungary. A medieval stone castle once stood on the site, but it was completely destroyed during the Turkish Wars of the 16th century. The Italian architect Pietro Ferabosco is credited with designing the fortress.
In front of the fortress was a deep moat, which could be flooded with water from the River Danube when needed. Inside the large courtyard of the Old Fortress, there was a small military town with several buildings, which were lost in 1783 during a powerful earthquake that shook the city. The fortress’s restoration was deemed unprofitable, and it was sold at a public auction.
The fortress gained renewed attention during the Napoleonic Wars at the beginning of the 19th century. Between 1827 and 1839, the entire exterior of the Old Fortress was rebuilt and modernized, establishing it as one of the main military strongholds along the River Danube.
After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, the Old Fortress served various purposes. From 1968 to 1990, it functioned as one of the largest Soviet ammunition depots in Slovakia. Today, the area has been cleared and is open to the public.
Ferdinand’s Gate
This is the main entrance to the Old Fortress, dating back to 1550, built under the command of Emperor Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, after whom the gate is named. Above the entrance, where a drawbridge once stood, are two stone memorial plaques
The upper plaque features the coat of arms of Ferdinand I with the Imperial eagle. Above the coat of arms is the royal crown, surrounded by the chain of the Golden Fleece with a small lamb. The entire coat of arms is supported by two griffins—mythological creatures with the head and wings of an eagle and the legs of a lion. According to restorers, who renovated the gate between 2009 and 2012, the entire coat of arms was once brightly colored.
The lower plaque lists some of Ferdinand I’s numerous titles in Latin.
Blind Labyrinth
In addition to several mysterious locations in the Old Fortress, visitors can explore the so-called “Blind Labyrinth” – an attraction filled with obstacles, where they can test their senses, including their sense of orientation, in complete darkness.
