The northeastern built-up part probably formed the castle core. Residential buildings adapted to the rock terrain were connected to this part. Together they formed a complete block, which was accessible through a free-standing prismatic tower in the southeast. All that was left of it were the remains of the walls. In front of the tower was a narrow fortified area, accessible through a gate set between two rocks.In the risalit of the front palace is the last preserved window with the original stone lining, which was restored. The area of the central palace completely disappeared and only a part of the perimeter wall and the common walls with the front and back palace have been preserved. The most preserved building in the castle is the rear palace and the oldest and highest part of the castle is the upper palace. The first conservation and archeological works on the castle began in 2012.

The oldest information about the land of Hričov is from 1208, when it is mentioned as a predial property of the Nitra diocese. Several medieval documents about the castle itself have been preserved, on the basis of which it can be determined that the castle was built in the period 1254 - 1265 by Master Toluš, son of Farkaš. In 1254 King Belo IV. confirmed the confusion of the land of Hričov and the territory of Malý Mojš between Toluš and Ján, son of Namslav of Turc. The document dealing with this exchange shows that the castle did not exist at that time. In 1265, after the change of ownership of Toluš's property, Hričov Castle was already mentioned directly in writing.

After Toluš's death, the monarch donated the castle to Mikuláš, son of Pavel of the Beych family. Another written mention of Hričov Castle comes from the year 1278 where Mikuláš is mentioned in connection with the sale of servants, weapons and food at the castle to Mike, son of Detrich. According to the deed, Miko represented his cousin Byter, the owner of Lietava, who was also interested in Hričov Castle. In 1282, Comes Byter (ancestor of the Balassa family) finally bought the castle with the help of Mike. At the end of the 13th century, Miko stayed mainly in the territory of Novohrad, so there was a mutual exchange of ownership between Mike and Byter. Matúš Čák occupied Hričov Castle during this period. Hričov remained in the hands of Matúš Čák until his death, and Karol Róbert's royal troops gradually occupied all of Matúš's castles at the beginning of 1321, and the monarch rewarded his followers with some of them or left them to their original owners. Thus, in 1321, Hričov Castle also fell into the hands of Master Petr, Byter's son and the owner at the royal court, Juraj, Byter's grandson and also the nephew of Master Petr. Sometime between 1321 and 1323, a hitherto unknown event had to take place, after which the castles of Hričov and Lietava fell into the royal hands.

In 1397, Dezider Kapolay, a member of the Ratold family, is mentioned as the owner of the castle. In connection with the decline of the family's status, King Sigismund took the castle from Dezider in 1397 and donated it to the important Polish nobleman Sedziwój Palug of Szubin. After his death, his son-in-law Ctibor I of Ctiborice probably acquired his property. He owned them until his death in 1414, when all his property was inherited by his son Ctibor II. from Ctiboríce. Subsequently, even after his death, everything that was not in hereditary possession again fell to the king. At the same time, there were legal disputes over property after the Ctibor family. Ctibor II's cousin claimed his rights. Nikolajko. His claims were rejected, as allegedly his father and brother Ctibor I fought on the Polish side in the Hungarian-Polish war in 1410, when the castle was officially owned by another Pole Donin from Skrzyn. He allowed his relative Nikolajek to use Hričov Castle and Lietava. This year, King Albrecht II. he took the castle to Donin and donated it to Ladislav Necpalský. However, Nikolajko refused to release it and, by armed intervention, made it impossible for the status of new owner to be royal plenipotentiary Tomáš Kotešovský and Michal, a representative of the Trenčín Convention. Nikolajko probably used the castle until 1442, when Queen Elizabeth also died and Nikolajko went back to Poland. Around 1460, the castle, as a reserve property, fell into the hands of Matej's follower František Hági, who became the chief robe of the Trenčín capital.

Blažej Podmanický, who was on the side of Matej Korvín only from 1466, received a donation to Hričov in 1468, and the following year he was also declared the owner of the castle and manor. After Blažej Podmanický, who died in 1480, the castle was acquired in 1481 by Viliam Tettauer, the second husband of the widow of František Hági, the mercenary captain of Matej Korvín, against whom Blažej's son Václav protested. King Vladislav II. however, in 1500 he donated the castles of Hričov and Bytča, together with the respective estates, to Michal Imrefy.

In 1527 the castle was conquered by the imperial general Ján Katzianer. After this action, the subsequent restoration of the castle was necessary. In the years 1536 to 1558, the castle was owned by the Podmanickov brothers, who conquered the castle and operated a counterfeiting workshop for coins. After the death of Rafael Podmanický in 1558, Hričov fell into the hands of the royal chamber, which released Hričov Castle together with the manor and Bytča to Anne Likarke, widow of Gašpar Horváth of Wingart. The Italian builder Ján Kilián, who was in charge of maintaining the castle, also worked in her service. Already in 1563, the entire property of Hričov was bought by František Thurzo. After the death of František Thurz, Hričov was managed by his widow Katarína Zrínska. The administration of all Thurz estates was taken over in 1586 by the eldest son Juraj. In 1605, the Bočkay hajdús ravaged the villages of the former Hričov estate, as well as at that time the already insufficiently guarded castle.

In the years 1617 - 1621 the Turzov estates were managed by Juraj's son Imrich, after his death from 1621 to 1626 the palatine widow Alžbeta Czobor.

Probably since the second half of the 17th century, the new owners of the Eszterházy estate did not show interest in repairing Hričov, and in the 18th century the process of its transformation into a ruin accelerated.

There are no myths available.

The ruins are freely accessible, admission is voluntary

https://www.hrady-zamky.sk/hricov/