Zborov Castle – The Devilish Mystery of the Moving Stones
Located in the isolated north-eastern reaches of Slovakia, along with the nearby city of Bardejov, Zborov is often passed over by western tourists. This amazing fortress is literally falling apart from neglect… but fear not! The local Slovak community has embraced their heritage and adopted the castle. Together they have started a community based restoration project. From what I witnessed it has been a remarkable success and they should be proud of their work. One could say that they are keeping the faith (or just renewing mine)!
Table of Contents
- Castle Legend
- Hiking up to the Castle
- Exploring the Castle Ruin (While a Live Band Plays)
- Conclusion
Castle Legend
The castle is the subject of some interesting local gossip. Legends inform us the castle was originally to be built on the higher hill of Hradske nearby, yet all the stone stored at this location disappeared during the night and mysteriously appeared on the nearby lower hill, now occupied by the fortifications. Due to events such as these, plans to build the castle on Hradske were abandoned and construction moved to the current site.
Further investigation into the matter reveals to us that Hradske was the site of a gate into hell… as such devils were responsible for this mix up. They wanted to prevent their gate getting blocked by the new fort. It is said that the devil who was responsible for all of the chaos was caught and bricked up in the walls of the highest tower of the new castle.
The truth however, is probably simpler then this tall tale! It would involve one of the seven sins, that of sloth! Could it be possible that the workers didn’t want to carry the stones up to the original site as it was too high? If so, they would have secretly moved their work from the day previous to the smaller hill during the night.
To cover up their crime they spread the tales about possible hauntings in the hopes that construction would be moved to the hill that is easier to climb.
Hiking up to the Castle
On you drive into town from the south, you will pass a large forested hill to the east where the castle s located. You will continue into town and find the parking area reserved for the Castle. It is a actually located on dirt road leading though a field. Look for the sign that will show you the way.
There is a tourist information center in town if you are stuck.
Once parked it will be a twenty minute hike through a path in the fields as well as through the forest. It is not a hard hike up but if it is a sunny day bring water.
Luckily for me once I reached the top, some locals were selling cold beer from a cooler! They were raising money for the castles renovations and there were a lot of locals on site. I was the only western tourist as such it felt special.
Exploring the Castle Ruin (While a Live Band Plays)
After crossing over the bridge into the castle you will enter the lower castle yard.
Her you will find an exhibit room detailing the history of the site as well as a stage where a band was playing. I ended up sitting here for a while to enjoy the moment.
Like many of the castle in medieval Hungary, the castle consists of both a lower and upper keep, usually a large tower at the center of the complex that could be reached by a walkway wrapping around the complex at a steep grade.
Restoration work on thi part of the keep was ongoing at the time of my visit and the site is little more then a structural ruin. The main keep was being stabilized as I entered but it was cool to see it in its sorry state, something about it added to the buildings romantic grandeur.
Being an engineer I went around to see the works, of course! Knowing the history of the site I would doubly exited. The village of Zborov was founded by a vassal of Béla IV of Hungary by the name of Makó after the disaster that was Mongol invasion of 1241. Bela wanted to fortify his holdings after the devastation and his vassal built a castle here. However it is more likely Otto Biberstein built the castle in 1270 but there are some who thing the castle was founded even later, possibly in the 14th century. At one point the castle was owned by the king a certain Mátyás Hunyadi better known as Matthias Corvinus!
Over the years the castle saw many attacks by the Poles, who were warring against the Hungarian Crown. The castle eventually became part of the Austrian Empire and remained usefull to these masters. The Turkish threat made it an important facility and also one to deal with anti-Hapsburg sentiment by the Hungarian Subjects of the Empire.
The castle saw fire damage during the 19th century and damage due to cannon fire during the First World war, where the property became overgrown until being cleared by volunteers in the community.
Once you are done exploring, you can do as I did, and proceed carefully to the top tower where you will be afforded incredible views of the surroundings.
Conclusion
The the top of the battlements you will have a sublime view of the untarnished countryside with its lush forests and pastoral landscapes. This is a beautiful region of the county and this, an ideal location to take in the views.
