Turňa Castle: ruin of a border fortress in the Slovak Karst
Turňa Castle (Turniansky hrad) is a ruined 13th-century hill fortress above the village of Turňa nad Bodvou in the Košice Region, only about 5 km from the Hungarian border. It stands on a limestone hill at the edge of the Slovak Karst, and its walls, bastions and the rock-cut approach road make it a rewarding short climb for anyone seeking a lesser-known castle in eastern Slovakia.
A castle whose owners split it into two halves lived in manor houses at its foot, and the ruts of medieval carts are still cut into the rock of its road.
The history of Turňa Castle
The village below the hill is mentioned as early as 1198, and some researchers believe a small stronghold already stood here then. A more likely date for the first stone castle is shortly after the Mongol invasion of 1241, when a tower of square plan was built to guard the road from Gemer and Spiš towards Abov. The surrounding lands belonged to the Tornay family, who had served in the defence against the Mongols and who took their name from the castle. The castle is first mentioned in writing as castrum Thorna in 1357, when King Louis I allowed Ladislav and his brothers to build; at this time a Gothic residential palace and a ten-metre wall were added around the older tower.
After the Tornay family died out in 1406 the castle passed through many hands. King Sigismund of Luxembourg took it over and exchanged it in 1409, and later it came to the Bebek family. In 1448 the troops of John Jiskra occupied the castle and held it for roughly a decade, and an attack by their former mercenaries, the so-called brotherhood, failed in 1453. In 1456 the widow Margita wrote a letter from the castle to the famous preacher St John of Capistrano.
In 1476 the Hungarian palatine Imrich Zápolya, with his wife and his brother, bought the castle for 10,300 gold florins. Under the Zápolya family, who held the estate until 1531, the castle was greatly modernised: the palace was extended, an outer wall was added and a residential tower was built at the front. When the Ottoman threat grew, new fortification works followed between 1540 and 1550, turning Turňa into part of the great chain of border castles of Upper Hungary. It became a powerful artillery fortress, with a huge semicircular bastion whose walls were up to five metres thick and towers with advanced keyhole gunports.
The 17th century brought confusion. The castle was divided into two equal halves between the Kátai and Moric families, who lived in manor houses at the foot of the hill and used the fortress as a garrison, prison and storehouse. In 1652 the Ottomans captured it. During the uprising of Imre Thököly the castle was held by the insurgents, and after the revolt was crushed the imperial general Schultz ordered it demolished in 1685. Since then it has been a ruin.
Later the Keglevich family owned it, but preferred a more comfortable manor house at the foot of the hill and did not restore the fortress. In the 18th and 19th centuries it decayed quickly and drew the attention of romantic painters and architectural historians. Today a civic association works to save it according to a conservation plan from the 1970s.
Curiosities about Turňa Castle
- The old access road was cut into the rock, and the ruts left by medieval carts can still be seen in the limestone along the path.
- The castle's huge semicircular bastion had walls up to five metres thick, and the towers have keyhole gunports of an advanced design.
- In 1621 an inventory of one half of the castle lists a cabbage cellar and stores of bacon and flour, together with 78 hook guns.
- The Tornay family took their surname from the castle that their ancestors built, and the castle itself is just 5 km from the present Slovak-Hungarian border.
- In 1456 the widow Margita wrote a letter from the castle to the preacher St John of Capistrano, one of the few personal voices from its history.
- The walls are built of local grey Wetterstein limestone and of travertine from the western part of the Turňa basin.
Tours near Turňa Castle
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Visiting Turňa Castle
- The ruins can be visited freely and are reached from the village by a fairly steep path; wear sturdy shoes and allow time for the climb.
- The condition is poor: walls of the bastions, palaces and the tower are described as at risk of collapse, so keep to the paths and stay away from the walls.
- You can still read the layout of the castle on the ground: the entrance next to the thick round bastion, the upper courtyard with the old tower block and the standing wall of a large palace.
- The hill is a nature reserve inside the Slovak Karst National Park, with sensitive plant communities, so stay on the path.
- Check conditions locally before you go, and combine the visit with Krásna Hôrka Castle, about 21 km away, or with Košice, about 30 km away.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Turňa Castle is
Photos of Turňa Castle
Questions
Where is Turňa Castle and how do you get there?
Turňa Castle stands on a limestone hill above Turňa nad Bodvou in the Košice Region, about 5 km from the Hungarian border. A fairly steep path leads up to the ruin from the village.
How old is Turňa Castle?
The first stone castle was probably built after the Mongol invasion of 1241, and the castle is first mentioned in writing in 1357. It grew into a large artillery fortress in the 16th century.
Why is Turňa Castle a ruin?
After the uprising led by Imre Thököly, the imperial general Schultz ordered the castle to be demolished in 1685. The Keglevich family who owned it later preferred to live in a manor house below and never restored it.
Is Turňa Castle free to visit?
The ruins are freely accessible and can be explored on foot. Parts of the walls are unstable, so take care and keep to the paths.
What can you see at Turňa Castle?
You can see remains of the central tower, palaces, bastions and defensive walls, a large semicircular bastion and wheel ruts cut in the rock of the old road.
Who owned Turňa Castle?
Owners included the Tornay family, the Bebeks, the Zápolyas, the Mágóchy family and later the Keglevichs, who received the whole castle in 1699.
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