Remains of a castle on a limestone rocky hill above the northern end of the village Podhorod, about 15 km northeast of Sobrance
The castle had an oval disposition and it contained a cylindrical tower, from which the signs of the arch and stone staircase as well as the remains of the mantle have been preserved. A palace was added to the stone wall. The courtyard is bordered by a wall, the balance of which reaches even 2.5m. The gateway to the courtyard was probably in a leaping extension at the northern corner of the palace.The first systematic archaeological research in the castle began in 2018. During the research, ceramic fragments from the 13th to the 14th century were discovered in the castle grounds.
- 1 - cylindrical tower
- 2 - palace
- 3 - courtyard
- 4 - castle gate
The castle was probably built at the turn of the 13th-14th centuries and its founders may have been nobles from the Tibava estate. There are only two reliable mentions of it, one from 1337 and the other from 1345. Therefore, it is likely that it already existed in the 20s or 30s of the 14th century.
They apparently used it as a fortress to guard the local road and also as a temporary residential refuge. The castle often changed its owners. It was owned by the Vumay family, the Zobráncz family, the Bánffy family, the Pongrácz family, the Lacskay family and the county family of the Sztáray family.
According to some sources, the castle was destroyed during the conflicts of Omodej of the Abov family, or Petény's son Petr. However, Omodej's resistance ended with the defeat at Rozhanovce in 1312 and Petény's resistance was suppressed by King Karol Róbert only in 1321, so the castle was probably destroyed during the second military intervention. In a document from 1337 it is already mentioned as abandoned (castrum desertum Tybauara vacatum) and in 1715 it was completely destroyed.
The original owners did not restore the castle and had a new castle built near the settlement of Choňkovce. There is a document of 24 August 1418, issued by King Sigismund of Luxembourg, which mentions the Tyba castrum as active again. It is assumed that it was already the mentioned newly built castle in the area of today's village Choňkovce. This is also the last mention of the seat of the Tibava family branch. Archaeological research to date also shows that the castle above Podhoroď is older than the one in the Choňkovce district.
The rumor says
The modest ruins of Tibava Castle, which once stood above Podhoroďa, witnessed tragic love in ancient times. Imrich Michalovský, the aging lord of the castle, brought a young and beautiful wife. As is the rule in such situations, he was jealous of her and did not trust her, so when she told him that he was carrying his child under his heart, he did not believe her. He suspected she had a sweetheart and decided to wall her. In addition, he caught her trying to escape and he was already convinced of her guilt. The woman begged him to let her into the church on Good Friday. Despite her prayers, Imrich completed the work of jealousy. He killed his young wife, who loved him. She died in his arms, and the last words she heard were: Here you go, beast!
The ruins are freely accessible