The extinct castle with the remains of the walls of the later church above the village of Jelšava, in the Hradovisko location
The castle in the Hradovisko locality had a rectangular floor plan and was surrounded by a double moat. It was probably built of wood and clay.It was probably built of wood and clay, but short-term archaeological research has also confirmed the use of stone masonry.
- Source: varak.hu
No information has been preserved about the period of the castle's construction in the Hradovisko locality. The castle was probably built by the Templars in the 12th or 13th century and was destroyed during the Mongol invasions of Hungary. Apparently it served to protect the surrounding mines and ironworks.
The castle is mentioned in 1243 in an archival document, an apprenticeship certificate of a resident from the Plešivec borderland. The document mentions the castle, near which there was an iron hammer, and for sure in 1271 the castle certainly did not stand.
The polygonal shape of the presbytery appears in this region sometime at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries and occurs throughout the Gothic period. The construction of the church proves that this place was not abandoned even after the demise of the castle.
In the middle of the 15th century, Hussite troops settled on the site of the defunct castle and built their fortress there using older ramparts and probably the existing church.
The fortress of the brothers was apparently destroyed around 1461 by the troops of the Hungarian king Matej Korvín.
In 1976, an archaeological research was carried out at the site, which identified two stages of settlement. Remains of pottery from the 13th and 14th centuries were found from the first stage, and from the second stage, from the Hussite era, fragments of pottery, iron objects and silver coins from the period of King Ladislav Pohrobok were found.
They also discovered traces of a strong fire that destroyed a log building with a stone foundation, probably the result of the defeat of the Hussites. No traces of the younger settlement were found, which would indicate that the church also disappeared. In the northern section, two parallel rows of destroyed masonry without mortar binder were captured. In the opposite part, a burnt floor made of broken clay was found, belonging to a large building with a stone foundation.
Research and findings did not clarify the relationship between the various stages of settlement.
The locality represents the type of an extensive medieval fortified settlement by its strategic location and fortification solution. It belongs to the localities that are decisive for the beginnings of the medieval construction development of Jelšava.
There are no myths available.
The site is freely accessible