ČABRAĎ Castle

Čabraď is a ruin of castle located near the village Čabradský Vrbovok, in the middle of the Krupina Highlands on a hill above the valley Litava. Originally, this castle was called Litava.

The castle was built in the 13th century in the village Huntovec to protect roads leading to the mining towns. In the second half of the 16th century it was an important fortress against the Turks. They tried several times in vain to conquer it. In 1511 the castle became the property of the Archbishop of Esztergom T. Bakócz who got it modified and rebuilt around 1520.

Works on fortification and enlargement of residential areas especially on the forecastle have continued in the second half of the 16th century. In the 18th century, the owners moved to the newly built palatial house in Svaty Anton, thus the importance of the castle declined rapidly. In 1812 they set fire in the castle, thus avoiding the occupation of the castle by robber knights.