Zborov Castle or Makovica is a ruin of a castle near the village of Zborov in the district of Bardejov. The oldest references to the castle date back to the beginning of the 14th century. It passed through the families from the Cudaro family, through the Rozgonyi family, later it belonged to the Tárczay family, then to the Seredy family and finally to the Rákoci family. The original royal Gothic castle consisted of a roughly triangular courtyard with a defensive wall, a square tower (donjon), a palace and a chapel. The lower courtyard was partitioned by walls, which allowed better control of access to the middle courtyard, and outbuildings were added to the castle wall in its western part. Renaissance building modifications according to Italian models improved the outdated and inadequate fortification system and created a comfortable landlord's residence meeting the most demanding contemporary housing requirements. The Rakoci family, who owned the castle in the 17th century, devoted themselves only to its maintenance. In the second half of the 17th century they moved to the manor house in Zborov. The castle ruins were badly damaged during World War I. The castle hill was declared a protected area in 1926 and its protection was extended in 1950 by declaring it a state nature reserve, making it one of the oldest protected areas in Slovakia. The protection is mainly focused on the massive, several hundred year old specimens of summer oak planted along the access road to the castle.
Source and photo: hradzborov.sk
