The central part of the castle is a massive tower - donjon. It also included a palace, a chapel and other buildings surrounded by an irregular fortification wall with semi-circular bastions. From the southern side is accessible a large courtyard, which encircles the core of the castle and protected the tower.The walls have been preserved, some only in the foundations, others to a considerable height. In places, there were fired, demanding blocks, window and door openings in the walls. Also on some walls Renaissance plaster with sgraffito ornamentation.

Although a credible document has not been preserved, which would clarify the time and reasons for the construction of the Zborov castle, the construction beginnings of the castle can be traced back to the period after 1317, when Karol Róbert was consolidating power. It is assumed that the castle was originally intended to perform a guard function on the trade route and the function of a border castle.

The first preserved written report on the existence of Makovica Castle is a document of King Louis I from 1347, where it is mentioned as "de Makauicha". The castellans at that time were Štefan and Juraj Bebekovci. As early as 1364, Peter Cudar of Ónod acquired the castle estate of Makovica from the monarch. The Cudarovs expanded the castle estate with the surrounding property and thus created an extensive feudal dominion in northern Šariš. However, unfavorable political conditions in Hungary in the following period seriously disrupted the character and density of population. Polish military campaigns in 1439 - 1444, 1471 and 1491 - 1492 through the Makovice estate, the operation of Jiskra's mercenary troops, chaos in the country and feudal anarchy were associated with the struggle for the Hungarian throne and stimulated the activities of robber fraternal groups. This condition lasted until the end of the 15th century. After the extinction of the Cudarov family in 1470, King Matej Korvín donated the Makovice castle estate to the owners of the Stropkov castle estate, the lord of Rozhanovice (Rozgonyiovci). In r. In 1493 the castle estate was acquired by the Silesian nobleman Schellenberg and after him in 1522 lords of Torysa (Tarczay family). In the struggle for the Hungarian throne, they supported Ján Zápoľský and after his defeat they were dominated in 1548 by King Ferdinand I confiscated and assigned to his follower magnate Gašpar Serédy. After his death in In 1553 the manor was inherited by his son Juraj. The Seredys expanded and fortified the castle. After them, Ondrej Balassa acquired the castle. Finally, until r. In 1601 he owned the Polish magnate Ján of Ostrog, who married Serédy's daughter.

Ján z Ortrogu sold in r. 1601 Makovice estate together with the castle to Žigmund Rákóczi. During the suppression of the uprising in 1684, Imperial General Schultz conquered the castle and ordered it to be demolished. At that time, there was already a manor house in the town of Zborov and the castle was not restored. In the 18th century, the manor was confiscated and divided. Part was acquired by Count Aspremont, husband of Juliana Rákóczi, sister of František Rákóczi II., Part by the Szirmy family and a smaller part by the Erdöy family. In 1915, the most difficult battles of the Eastern Front between Austria-Hungary and Russia took place around the castle, when the castle was severely damaged.

In 2010, a civic association was established to save Zborov Castle.

Castle and devils

It is said that they started building the castle on the Kaštielik hill, where strigs and devils met. And so what people built during the day was gone in the morning. The devils, in order not to be hindered by the wild dance, carried them to the neighboring hill. To save more work, the builders preferred to build a castle where the devils moved the stones. Due to this dispute, he was named Sporov and over time his name was transformed into Zborov.

Broken heart

Gaspar II. Seredy loved Zborov very much. But Žigmund Rákóczi also liked the castle, who wanted to buy it from him. So, if he wanted to keep the castle, the nobleman had to diplomatically persuade the great tycoon in some way from the intention. He agreed to the sale on the condition that he asked for that time an exorbitant amount of money to be paid by ducats minted in the same year. One day, however, Sigismund actually brought the moss of ducats, which came from the same year. Sered kept the word boyishly, but his heart could not stand the loss of Zborov and burst from grief. To this day, a memorial stands along the road from the village of Dlhá Lúka.

The ruins are freely accessible

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