
- Although my days are counted, you won’t find my treasures -
Tomb of Matthew Czak of Trenčín has never been found. Could it be that this powerful and wealthy magnate did not pay much attention to securing the place of his last rest? This gave rise to a tale of the hidden tomb storing the dead body of this lord of Trenčín together with his plentiful treasures in iron, silver, and gold chests. However, this tale is strikingly similar to the legend of the death of Attila the Hun, called „The Whip of God“.
It was mainly in the 18th and 19th centuries, when many a fortune seekers would look for the Matthew's tomb - once underneath the Matthew tower, other times under a plum tree or inside the secret tunnel at the Jeremiah's bastion. Still, others believe him to be buried underneath the Váh river bed, or some place in the woods. Another tale has it that Matthew fled before the royal army through a secret passage leading from the castle to Skalka, spending the rest of his life living in the monastery that also hides his tomb. Reality; however, offers a more sober explanation. Matthew most likely died at the Trenčín castle during its siege by the royal army. As far as the treasures, one should not get too enthusiastic either. Notwithstanding the church curses pronounced on him (quite common back then), Matthew still considered himself a good Christian. And we know that no treasures are laid into the tombs of Christians. Therefore, it is quite possible that the treasure was stolen and taken away by those that had access to it after Matthew's death, or carried away by the king’s army. The only thing that remained is the legend.