Šášov Castle

The de Vanchas, the brothers of the Archbishop of Esztergom, had me built on a cliff above the River Hron sometime in the middle of the 13th century. Every eye of mine watched the intersection of roads along the Hron. I was managed by several very important people.

At first I was administered by royal castellans, later I was pledged to aristocratic families. From 1424 to 1490 I was dowry property of Hungarian queens, and in 1490 I became the possession of the Dóczy family, as were many of my friends by the River Hron.

The Lupča branch of the Dóczy family – the Lipchey family even used me as their residence. Then they sold me so I became the property of the Lipai family and my last owner was the Banská Štiavnica Mining Chamber. My life pilgrimage was coming to a close at the end of the 18th century. But as you can see, much of me is still with you.

What you may not know about me

In 2015, Šášov Castle uncovered a unique find of the remains of a bread oven of unusual dimensions, which indicated the former presence of the castle bakery. The documents of the castle from 1680, held by the Castle Preservation Association, describe various rooms of the castle as well as the BakhHaus room, i.e. the bakery. The fact that it is an oven is evidenced by the stone masonry foundation and burnt clay pressed into it, which is the area on which the bread was laid. According to archaeologists, the oven occupied a large part of the room, and the remains of a fume duct and chimney have been preserved in the masonry. The furnace was re-covered after the examination to preserve it for the future. Later it can serve to present the life at the castle, but now it is still waiting to be revealed to the general public.

In addition, there was also a Šášov brewery below the castle. It is first mentioned in 1626, when, after the death of the last Lipchey, Nicolas, and after the division of the property, his surviving wife had the right to brew beer there. The brewery is still on the map from 1833 but it is not known whether beer was still brewed there that year. Wine of several types was also stored in the castle cellars – Czeicker, Radoschiner, Geburger, Puschwein.

CONCLUDING STORY

The Black Queen

In 1424 Šášov Castle was given as a dowry to Queen Barbara of Celje, the wife of King Sigismund of Luxembourg, also called the Black Queen.

Do you know why she was called that?

Barbara of Celje, nicknamed the Black Queen, was the wife of Sigismund of Luxembourg. Incredible gossip circulated about her in the country. She was said to be unfaithful to her husband. She did not believe in God. And she was even at the service of the devil himself. Simply the Black Queen.

We do not know what Barbara of Celje was really like. What is certain, however, is that she was a very successful and wealthy woman. Thanks to her hard work, she held the position of Hungarian, Roman-German and Czech Queen.

She was one of the most important medieval queens. But despite her success, she always remained in the shadow of her beloved husband, Sigismund.

The new King Albrecht, who ascended the throne after the death of Sigismund of Luxembourg, was very envious of her success and wealth. He needed to slander her, so plotted against her and got her into an unpleasant situation.

How do you get there?

You can get to Šášov Castle from the Information Office and the Memorial Room of the Šášov Castle Preservation Association in Šášovské Podhradie, following the green tourist sign along a wide forest path. You can reach the castle in less than 30 minutes. Another option is the hike on an educational trail from the railway station in Žiar nad Hronom. It takes about one hour.