The remains of the castle are located near the church St.Michael on a rocky hill. In the preserved rooms in the eastern part was a wooden beam ceiling recently. The large residential tower with perimeter fortifications was rebuilt in the 15th century. The castle was enlarged by a courtyard 25x20m in the western direction, which closed two semicircular bastions with an entrance. It was supplemented by a fortified bailey, along the perimeter of which other residential and farm buildings were built at the beginning of the 16th century. They gradually fortified the castle - they raised older walls and built fires in them. On the NE and SE corners were bastion bastions with loopholes. In the interior there was also a residential palace with dimensions of 17x10m. After the Renaissance reconstruction, a fortified four-wing irregular building with a rectangular ground plan, circular corner bastions and a narrow courtyard, which is accessed on the west and east sides by semi-circular gates, has been preserved. The facade on the south side has Renaissance windows combined with stone ledges.The castle is partially preserved and since 2018 its reconstruction has been underway. During the reconstruction of the castle in Markušovce, they found the foundations of a residential circular tower from the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries.

During the Tartar invasion in 1241, the territory of present-day Markušovce was plundered, and only after the Tartar army left Hungary - Markus, son of Gol, restored the settlement, which changed its then name Svätý Michal to "Terra Marci" - Land of Markov - Markušovce. Thanks to Mark's eldest son Batyz, who took part in military expeditions, received permission from his brother Mikuláš to build a castle in the Markušovice area in 1284. Originally, it was probably a simple manor house, consisting of a stone prismatic residential tower and a perimeter wall.

The Máriássy family, the followers of Mark, grew in wealth and rank. In 1486, Štefan Máriássy took over the administration of the family property and had the castle rebuilt and expanded. However, the reconstruction of the castle provoked resistance from Spiš towns, especially Levoča. The cities feared that the domination of the upland road by the strong castle of the Máriássy family would endanger their interests. Therefore, in 1507 they extorted from Vladislav II. prohibition of further construction of the fortress. In the end, however, both parties agreed that Štefan undertook not to expand the castle grounds with a fortified church and not to surround the castle with a moat. Under these conditions, the reconstruction was completed.

After Štefan's death in 1516, the castle passed into the hands of his son František, who, however, in 1526, after the battle of Mohács, supported the election of Ján Zápoľský as King of Hungary. King Ferdinand declared the followers of Zápoľský traitors. The Levočans took advantage of this, dusted off old disagreements and in 1527 attacked Markušov Castle, which they conquered, plundered and ravaged. The castle and the property belonged to Habsburg General Katzianer, who in 1529 gave them to the Levoča advance. In 1546, Žofia Pongrácz, the widow of František Máriássy, managed to get the property back to its original extent. Her son Pavol then reconciled with Levoča and received money for the damage he used, which he used to rebuild the destroyed castle. During the reconstruction, the castle was renovated in the Renaissance style. Paul founded an agricultural school here in 1567 and the castle served as a family residence for more than half a century.

Pavlov's grandson František had a comfortable manor house built in the village, completed in 1643, which has survived to this day. In 1773, lightning struck the church tower and set the church on fire. The castle was seized from it, and it burned to the ground. Later, in 1789, the castle was partially renovated by Farkas (Wolfgang) Máriássy, but at that time the already large family had other mansions and manors built in the village. In 1933, Ödön Máriássy sold his property in Markušovce and moved to Mád. He also took with him the family archive, which they stored in the Regional Archive in Budapest. The castle was inhabited by locals until 1965.

The premises of the former archive were used by an eight-year school from 1945 to 1959. Later, it was decided that a museum of the Spiš nobility and a museum of Ján Ámos Komenský would be established at the castle. Because of this, in the years 1971 to 1974, they began conserving the castle. However, the castle was then abandoned until 1992.

The project of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Slovak Republic and the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic and the European Social Fund from 2017 to 2019 supported the actual restoration of Markušov Castle. Thanks to these projects, the castle grounds were cleaned of rubble, municipal waste and overgrown trees. The rubble stones were built into the northern castle wall, and two counter roofs were built in the upper courtyard. In parallel with these works, an archeological probe was carried out across the entire castle from east to west. Significant findings were found within it. The most important was the discovery of the foundations of a round residential tower with a diameter of 13 m and a masonry thickness of 1.6 m from the end of the 11th century.

The rumour says

In the church, which was not included in the castle grounds due to the resistance of the Levočans, there are several epitaphs of the Mariássy family from the 16th-17th centuries, made of red marble, with a relief figure of the deceased.

Legend about Štefan

Markušov Castle Lord Štefan was a very cunning house. He paid the scribe a promise that he would not forget him in a will. The pastor, who invoked the performance of patronage duties towards the church, was also beaten at his last will. He referred everyone who asked him anything to his will. He sat over it all day. He kept improving it, cibrilting it, grinding it, adding it. He knew full well that the family was angry at first for the messy little things. The castle, villages and lands are given to the heirs by law. He didn't mention those in a will. He only distributed small things. When Štefan left for eternity, the notary read the will to the bereaved. The assembled heirs rejoiced not in their share, but in how modestly the deceased gave to others. After all, mischief is the greatest joy ...

Legend about Daniš and Juditka

The people of Levoča were very angry at the castle lord Mariássy of Markušovce, who wrongfully robbed them of their property. One day all their patience passed. It was when the country bachelor Daniš and the driver Jamník were driving a rare cargo and with him also the daughter of a Košice burgher - Juditka. As they passed through Markušovce, the spearmen of the castle lord Mariássy attacked them and seized the precious cargo. Daniš and Juditka managed to escape across the mountain to Levoča. They immediately ran to the mayor to tell them what had happened to them. The townspeople were not lazy and even with the mayor they broke into the Markušov castle. He was first looted and then set on fire. After taking revenge, everyone was looking forward to the wedding of Daniš and Judita.

The ruin is freely accessible to the public, it is partially reconstructed. Find out about the entrance to the complex on the castle's website.More info

https://hradmarkusovce.sk

https://www.hrady-zamky.sk/markusovsky-hrad/