On the north-western outskirts of the Slánské hills, on the right side of the valley of the river Šebastovka, above the village Podhradík, there are the remains of a medieval castle. Šebeš Castle was built at the beginning of the 14th century. The first mention of this area dates back to 1307, when the surroundings of the future castle were acquired by the knight Synek de Sebesy. By 1315 he built a new stone castle here. From the castle cliff it was possible to comfortably control the events in the northeastern part of the Košice basin, with a good view of the then existing castles of Šariš and Kapušany. Šebeš Castle was inhabited by the descendants of the knight Synek for two centuries. In 1491, King Vladislav II Jagelovský gave the castle to the loyal town of Košice. However, in 1528 this „Košice castle near Prešov“ was conquered by the army of the city of Prešov. This event may have triggered the later rivalry between Košice and Prešov, and due to disagreements and court disputes over the castle, the Prešov richtár had it burnt down in 1550. The castle was never rebuilt and after a while it disappeared. Only the remains of the original castle have been preserved.
At the western foot of the cliff is carved into the rock a set of numerals with the name L. CSEH and the date 24 August 1896. According to conjecture, this is probably the coordinate that indicates the location of the portal of the „live silver“ shaft, i.e. vermilion, which is used for mercury production. It is located on the opposite side of the Šebastovka stream, at the foot of Hájova hora. During World War II, the local inhabitants used it to store their food, especially grain. There are many interesting rock formations and small stone seas around the ruins. The castle hill offers a nice view of the surrounding villages and castles, under the castle there is a place for barbecue, rest - a shelter and a small amphitheater.
Visitor Tip:
- in the „courtyard“ there is an information board and next to it a small box, where it is carefully hidden, from all the elements of nature, guestbook. Support the enthusiasts and express your admiration for the work they have done.
- there are no rubbish bins during the trip, so please respect nature and take your rubbish with you
- The audio guide to Šebeš Castle is part of the Dante mobile app, which you can find on Google Play: play.google.com/dante. For the app to work smoothly in places with a weak signal and internet connection, we recommend that you download the Šebeš Castle itinerary offline before you set off on your trip.
Šebeš Castle is a part of Šariš Castle Road.
Source and photo : OOCR Region Šariš, village Podhradík
Cover photo: Tibor Šarišský Photography
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