The name was derived from Slavic "Bludište" reflecting the difficult terrain in the area[1] (blúdiť - to wander, in the modern Slovak language bludište/bludisko - a maze).

Louis I of Hungary gave the castle to Miklós Bánffy in 1379 as a reward for his service in battles in the Balkans and Italy.

[3] In 1388, the castle was given by Sigismund, King of Hungary to Stibor of Stiboricz of the Clan of Ostoja, a Lord of Polish origin.

Stibor was one of king's most influential advisors and in control of significant part of Northern Hungary (today, Slovakia).

Artists from Venetia, Poland, Germany and Bohemia were working on to make Beckov an outstanding place.

However, the royal council decided that she would receive only the customary one fourth of her father's property paid out in cash.

After the Battle of Mohács in 1526, where the Kingdom of Hungary was defeated by the Ottoman Empire, the Bánffy family rebuilt the castle into a Renaissance fortress and noble seat.

The castle's 16th century entrance consisted of a drawbridge and moat protected by a barbican complex but have been replaced by a wooden bridge.

During the Middle Ages craftsmen and servants had their houses on the lower courtyard, protected from possible attackers by a 14th-century fortification wall that runs all along the east side of the castle.

Other buildings that were located on the lower courtyard are: a kitchen, an oven for bread, a smithy, stables and a storage for fodder and straw.

Nowadays the lower courtyard houses an amphitheatre with stage and facilities for performers, museum exhibition, toilets for visitors and a souvenir shop.

[6] An important defensive function was also fulfilled by the Big Cannon Bastion, located above the lower courtyard.

It held the accommodation and reception rooms of the castle lord, while the servants' dwellings and farm buildings were located on the lower courtyard.

Service spaces and farm buildings were white-lime and the defensive parts had a brick pink color.

The upper castle formed a separate defensive unit and was protected from the lower courtyard by a gate with drawbridge.

Several terraced spaces and fortifications at the southern side of the upper castle formed a defensive maze.

The most luxurious building of the upper castle was the Cross Entry Palace, built during the Stibor period.

It was lighted by Gothic windows protected by oiled parchments or cloth, wood shutters and during Sigismund and Stibor eras also by glass, which had long been the prerogative only for churches.

[6] The real architectural jewel of the castle was the chapel which was built during the Stibor era and was connected with the living quarters of the Northern Palace.

At the farewell party, Becko took a bag full of gold coins and left to seek his happiness elsewhere.

The boy's father killed the dog while defending his child, whereupon Stibor became angry with the man and threw him from the top of the castle hill.

For example, Stibor of Stiboricz entered into his service to Hungarian kings in the second half of the 14th century, when Beckov Castle had already been built.

Quoting the opinion of Slovak historians, the name Beckov is closely related with the word "bludinec", which once described a labyrinthine place.

On the contrary, according to historical sources, Duke Stibor seems to have been a very kind hearted and open minded person who founded hospitals and monasteries.

The stories about Stibor's character and the foundation of the castle might not correspond to real events, however there are some elements in the legend that make one wonder how things looked in the courts of the Hungarian nobility.

Even a century later when Beatrix of Aragon came to Upper Hungary she was shocked by the amount of alcohol consumption and by the horrible way in which the festivities were held.

She had arrived from civilized Italy so she experienced a culture shock when she took part in the feasts at a Hungarian court for the first time.

Nonetheless, despite being historically untrue, the legend depicts the founding of Beckov castle so vividly that almost everyone in Slovakia is familiar with it.