At the head of the Brethren self-government were a council of elders, notaries, the most prominent of whom was Peter Lowczowski, and Captains Jakub of Pozów and Huncwald. In the grounds of the fortress stood three log buildings and important archaeological research from 1961 confirmed the presence of various concrete monuments as coins or pottery.
After the establishment of the military fortress, the Brethren dominated the area around Chmeľov, but in 1460 they were forced to retreat before Matej Korvín. Their "expansion" ended after agreement with the king to abandon the castle and destroy it. However, historical sources disagree on the amount. Some historians claim that the king paid the movement 4,250 guilders, others mention a severance payment of 5,250 guilders. Whatever the case, after collecting the agreed remuneration, the Brethren demolished the fortress and abandoned Khmelov.
However, the history of Chmelovský hradek is far from ending with its disappearance. It was rebuilt into a manor house and by the 19th century it was inhabited by several prominent families. The last reconstruction was rebuilt by the Fehérváry family. After the Second World War it served as a school and is characterised by a garden with historical greenery.
Since 1994 this beautiful the manor house is a national cultural monument, however, it does not belong to the municipality, but to a private owner, it is owned by a company Panra-Carpathia.
Source: hrady-zamky.sk, Tomáš Čorej, photo: Jozef Kotulič
