Hrad Sitno

Ilija, Slovakia, Slovakia

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Hrad Sitno, perched on Sitno mountain in the Štiavnické vrchy near Ilija in central Slovakia, was constructed in the second half of the 13th century as a Gothic royal stronghold following the Tatar invasions to safeguard mining towns and access routes. First documented in 1548 when royal forces captured it from robber knight Melchior Balassy, it was fortified against Turkish threats in 1549–1551, later owned by captains like Ján Krušič and the Koháry family until Kuruc troops of Francis II Rákóczi seized and destroyed it in 1710 during anti-Habsburg uprisings. Its ruins, including wall remnants and rock-hewn stairs on an ancient hillfort site dating to the Quadi era, now attract hikers amid local legends of cursed warriors trapped in the mountain.