During the period of Turkish expansion in the 16th century, the city of Komárno fell into the border area of the Habsburg and Ottoman empires.

The construction of the so-called "old" fortress began in 1546 on the foundations of a medieval castle according to plans by the Italian master builder Pietro Ferrabosco and the Alsatian Daniel Specklin.

The fortress was built at the confluence of the Danube and Váh rivers to provide protection against further Turkish advances into Habsburg-ruled Hungary.

The site of the fortress was donated to the city by Emperor Joseph II and the buildings were sold at auction in 1784 to the highest bidder.

The Komárno Fortress played an important role in the revolution and the subsequent Hungarian War of Independence in 1848/1849.

The Komárno Fortress, held by the Hungarian revolutionary troops under General Klapka, has been besieged several times.

The last siege of Komárno began on 13 July 1849, and after several months the Hungarian garrison was forced to surrender.

By the end of the 19th century, the largest fortification system of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy had been developed in Komárno and was field-fortified in 1914/1915 according to the general draft of equipment laid down in peace.

After the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops in 1968, Red Army soldiers were billeted in the fortress.

In 2003, the city of Komárno bought the Old and New Fortresses in order to carry out appropriate reconstruction work and thus preserve the historical ambience and make the object accessible to the public.