It along with other (sentry) castles were built to protect the roads that traveled the area to the northern Hungarian mines (now in central Slovakia[3]) that were booming at the time.

This originally sentry castle first mentioned in 1276 was built to guard the road leading to many northern Hungarian mining towns.

[2] In 1585, fears of Ottoman advances were rising in the country and vast fortification works were initiated, led by the Italian fortress architect G. Ferrari.

[2] After these events the castle became part of the King's fiefdom, which he rewarded in 1622 to noble Peter Kohary, for his outstanding actions and efforts in fighting the Ottomans.

The family kept it for a time as just a summer home until Ferencz József Koháry de Csábrág put the castle to blaze in 1812.