of the state. Later it was bought by private company. Lower Manor Few meters away, on the east, lower, there is Rococo manor called Szapáry Castle, built in 1676 probably by Péter Szapáry. In the interior of the manor was a chapel and school used by common people from neighbourhood. Nowadays manor is left to dilapilate. In the vicinity of the manors was a cemetery with gravestones of Balassa family and garden with plants brought from around the world. Nowadays there are few remnants of the past fame of these manors. Kostol Svateho Ladislava Next to the lower manor lies the Church of Saint Ladislaus, built in 1843. Building works lasted for 18 years. A fire gutted the church in 1888, but it was renewed in 1929. In the premises of the church is statue of John of Nepomuk, which was coincidentally brought to Povazske Podhradie on abandoned flatboat during floods in 1784. After the floods the statue was placed on the place of its founding with five lindens around. However, after some time lindens grew together forming one massive linden-tree. From this point people started to idolize the linden with the statue as a wonder of nature until the linden was cut down during the building of new man-made basin of the river Vah. Kostol Navstivenia Panny Marie Three kilometres away in the town's centre was a Gothic Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary. It was built in the 14th century by Jan Podmanitzky. It was rebuilt in 1940 to satisfy the need for capacity, leaving only presbytery, tower and the northern part of the walls of the old church. Nowadays paned windows were designed by famous Slovak artists Vincent and Viera Hloznik. In the entrance hall of the church is the gravestone of Rafael Podmaitzky, Zsigmond Balassa and his wife Alżbeta Zborowska. Manor Orlove Another Renaissance mansion lies few kilometres away, but still in the municipality of Považská Bystrica in Orlove. It was again built by Zsigmond Balassa in 1612, but because of the fire in 1618 it was rebuilt in 1733 in the baroque style. Manínska tiesňava On the opposite bank of the river Váh, there lies narrowest canyon in Slovakia called Manínska tiesňava. There is a nice view on the canyon from the castle. External links Website of the town hall of Považská Bystrica Video report about the castle by Slovak television STV Website