The castle was built in the 13th century on a hill above the valley of the Stupava stream at an altitude of about 370 m above sea level.

The first archeological excavation conducted on the site by Professor Vojtěch Ondrouch in 1940–41 raised the possibility that the Dračí hrádok was built on top of an older Roman burgus [4] Later research concluded this was not the case.

[5][6] Despite evidence of occasional human activity dating back as far as 4000 BC,[7] Dračí hrádok was built in the second half of the 13th century.

[10] However, the vast majority of objects found by archeological digs on the site date to the second half of the 13th century.

Latest archeological research therefore also rejects the theory[11] that Dračí hrádok could be depicted in a 16th-century engraving of the coronation of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor in Bratislava.