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We primarily focus on the period from the High Middle Ages (11th century) to the beginning of the Early Modern period (16th–17th centuries), including Gothic and Renaissance architecture.

• Castles and châteaux – preserved castles and castle complexes that have retained a substantial part of their built fabric. This category also includes representative residences, usually created by rebuilding castles or important older seats, traditionally referred to as châteaux. Urban castles are included as well.
  Examples: Orava Castle, Halič, Banská Bystrica
• Castle ruins – castles preserved in a ruined state with substantial above-ground remains, such as continuous walls, towers, palaces, bastions or other recognisable architectural elements.
  Examples: Šariš Castle, Pustý hrad in Zvolen, Beckov
• Wall remains – castles from which only smaller but clearly recognisable above-ground structural remains survive, for example a continuous section of masonry, part of a tower or another castle structure. These are not merely loose stones or rubble, but visible preserved parts of the original masonry construction.
  Examples: Bukovec, Rajec, Zemplín
• Monasteries – fortified or formerly fortified monastic complexes, or monasteries rebuilt or used for defensive purposes, including their ruins and surviving fragments. Unfortified monasteries are generally not included in the project.
  Examples: Kláštorisko, Hronský Beňadik, Leles
• Fortresses – fortification complexes built from the Early Modern period onwards primarily for military and defensive purposes, especially bastioned, polygonal or fort-type works.
  Examples: Komárno Fortress, Leopoldov, Nové Zámky
• Manor houses and noble residences – manor houses with a documented Gothic or Renaissance structural core, including buildings remodelled in later periods. This also includes manor houses created by remodelling Renaissance minor noble residences, or retaining a Renaissance core whose original building type remains uncertain. We also include manor houses and minor noble residences that were fortified or built on the site of a castle, small castle or another fortified noble residence.
  
  This category also includes smaller noble residences with documented fortifications or defensive features, such as fortified courtyard complexes and buildings of uncertain type, referred to in historical sources by terms such as castellum, fortalicium or small castle. Inclusion is based on the documented character of the site rather than its historical designation alone. For minor noble residences, Renaissance origins alone are not sufficient for inclusion. So-called castle-like manor houses and the ruins of the above buildings are also included.
  Examples: Borša, Strážky, Holumnica, Dúbravica
• Watchtowers – free-standing stone watch, guard or signal towers from the medieval and Early Modern periods, used mainly for observation, territorial defence and signalling.
  Examples: Živánska Tower, Krupina Watchtower, Nový zámok
• Lost castles – historically documented castles from which no continuous above-ground masonry survives. Earthworks, ditches, terrain irregularities or only small masonry fragments may still be visible. The project covers this category only marginally.
  Examples: Maginhrad, Soví hrad, Žakýl