The Castle of Čabrad

Čabraď is a castle ruin located near the village of Čabradský Vrbovok. Originally this castle was called Litava. The first written mention is from 1276. It belongs to the group of Central Slovak castles whose purpose was to protect the roads leading to mining towns. In the second half of the 16th century it was an important anti-Turkish fortress and the Turks tried to conquer it several times in vain. In 1511 it became the property of the Archbishop of Esztergom, Tamás Bakócz, who had it rebuilt around 1520. The fortification works and the expansion of the living quarters continued in the second half of the 16^th century, especially in the forecourt of the castle. When in the 18^th century the Kohári family moved to a newly built splendid house in Svätý Anton, the importance of the castle quickly declined. In 1812, the owners themselves had the castle set on fire to prevent the castle from being overrun by marauding knights.