Brekov Castle

The ruins of Brekov Castle are located in Humenské vrha, about 5 km from the town of Humenne, above the village of Berkov. The castle was built on a hill in the 13th century. Its function was to defend the trade route leading to Galicia. The castle played an important role in the political battles in 1466, when a battle between the armies of Maciej Korwín and the Polish king Casimir IV took place directly under the castle. In the years 1484 - 1488 the castle belonged to the Zápoľski family, who looked after the castle and expanded its fortifications. In the mid-16th century, the royal army captured and demolished the castle. Then the castle was renovated by the next owner, Mikołaj Druget. During the Rakoczi uprising, the castle was ravaged and destroyed by insurgent troops. Its partial repair did not save the castle, and in the last phase of the Thököly uprising, it was significantly damaged in 1684 and gradually began to degrade. In 1963 it was declared a cultural monument, and since 2009 the castle has been undergoing renovation. Currently, the ruins of the walls, the passage to the upper castle, the basement and the kitchen with a chimney have been preserved from the castle. Access to the castle is possible from the village of Brekov along the yellow hiking trail.