Drienov became the seat of the Drienov branch of the Abov family, and the lords also had a castle or a ground-floor castle right in the village, apparently on a hill in the middle of the village. Maybe it was a wooden building, maybe an earthen-wooden one. What is certain, however, is that it could not have provided the desired security. Especially not at the time of the two Tatar raids. The first one took place in 1241 and the second one in 1285, in which Ivanka - the son of the Drienov lord Juraj - perished. Apparently, the first Tartar invasion forced the family to build a more secure residence that would be able to protect them from the enemy. They chose a forest hilly massif above the valley of the Svinka river. The inconspicuous hill, today called Zámčisko (360 m above sea level), has steep slopes and is accessible only from the eastern side.
The castle lacked a castle front, so it had no economic base. Apparently, this also testifies to its temporary habitability. The simple courtyard layout does not exceed 25 x 30m. It is a typical example of a refuge castle hidden deep in a valley. Although with a good view of part of Obišovce and the valley of the Svinka river, but without a view of the Hornád basin and with a limited possibility to control the Torysa river basin. From the castle courtyard you can see Kapušian Castle. In the divided estates of the Ab family from 1300 the cost of building a certain castle Sumus (Drienov) is mentioned, which amounted to 70 marks (hryvnias) of silver. Whether this was a castle on Zámčisko or rather a castle above Kysak remains a matter of debate, but historians are more inclined to the opinion that this document refers to Kysak Castle itself.
Obišovský hradok almost disappeared. The archaeological material, which does not go beyond the middle of the 15th century, testifies to this. At that time, a more comfortable and larger castle with a castle forecourt above Kysak already stood in the Middle Ages. Its location was strategic, unlike the Obišov castle. It allowed to control the Hornád valley, part of the Tory valley and the confluence of the Svinka and Hornád rivers, as well as the passage from the Torysa to the Hornád. The castle behind Obišovce could not fulfil this role under any circumstances and therefore it was never rebuilt after its destruction.
Accommodation for the lords was provided by a one-storey three-storey palace, which was attached to the perimeter wall. The palace was irregular, adapted to the circumstances, built perhaps more quickly than the castle building. The extent of the castle was predetermined by the configuration of the hill's terrain, which was surrounded by an excavated defensive rampart with a 2.5 m deep moat. A road ascending the hillside led to an extended part of the rampart, where a simple wooden drawbridge spanned the moat. This allowed passage through a gate into the courtyard of the castle.
The castle complex consists of a medieval access road, a castle wall with an entrance gate, an outer rampart with an inner moat, a guard room, a palace tower and a courtyard with a cistern. The castle has a fireplace with benches and a wooden shelter creating a pleasant place for the whole family to relax. The nearby lookout point on the rocks that tower above the winding Svinka river will delight with beautiful views. The castle also enjoys the distinction of being the first castle to have been completely archaeologically investigated. It was in the sixties when historian and archaeologist Belo Polla explored and documented it.
Obisov Castle is part of Šariš Castle Road.
Photo: village Obišovce
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