castle ruin
Slight above-ground remains of the castle walls on a hill called Hrádok (Ivankov vrch, Ivankovo), above the village of Rudno nad Hronom, in the marginal position of the Štiavnické Hills above the valley of the Rudno brook
Rudno nad Hronom, Banská Bystrica region
GPS: 48.422,
18.695
416 m a.s.l.
Route 1:
After entering the village of Rudno nad Hronom, we cross the bridge over the river Hron and continue straight on. We will soon come to the church and the Municipal Office on the right. We continue straight along the narrow asphalt road until we come to a small bridge on the right side above the Rudniansky stream. Just in front of it is a smaller lawn on the right side of the road, where we can park the car. However, if you want to park more comfortably, you can park at the mentioned Municipal Office at the beginning of the village. In that case, you have to walk the entire way to the bridge.
Access to the castle begins almost opposite the bridge. We will go back a few meters and between the houses we will reach a meadow with a slight climb. The red route leads here - Rudná Magistrála, which will lead us along the meadow to the entrance to the forest, where there is a bench. Here, the red route deviates to the right and bypasses the castle hill, but the markings are lost, it is necessary to go intuitively around the hill, then at the crossroads to the left, later a 180-degree turn back to the castle hill.
Route 2: The starting point of this route is the same point as in route No. 1, so we will go across the meadow to the entrance to the forest, where the red route deviates. The shortest, but also the most challenging route is the path directly up through the forest. The road is not marked in any way, but you can't get lost, we will go steeply straight all the way to the castle hill. We recommend this ascent only to able-bodied tourists, as it is necessary to overcome a considerable elevation gain on a short section (approx. 500 m), but the ascent does not take long. Soon we come to the ramparts and the remains of the wall on the castle hill.
Nearby castles (as the crow flies):
Nová Baňa Radnica - 4.1 km, Breznický hrad - 6.9 km, Žarnovica - 7.1 km, Pukanec - 8 km, Nová Baňa - 10.2 km, Bohunice - 10.3 km, Bohunický hrádok - 10.8 km, Revište - 11.3 km, Hronský Beňadik - 13.3 km, Štiavnické Bane Bašta - 13.4 km
2021
Historical and other names: Barsrudnó, Tekovské Rudno, Ruda, Garamrudnó
A smaller fortified castle was built sometime in the 12th-13th century. It was almost certainly a guard castle that controlled the road from Pohronie to Pukanec and Krupina. No written mentions have been preserved about this castle. Information about the castle comes more or less from the archaeological research of A. Ruttkay from 1985-86. It was this research that brought knowledge about the origin and disposition of the fortified seat. The obtained archaeological material does not deviate from the 13th century, which allows to determine not only the period of its origin, but also to point out the short time of its existence.
The castle was probably built by nobles from Kalná, who in 1283 were also the owners of Rudno. This year, the property of Rudno is mentioned for the first time as possessio Ruda, but there is no mention of the castle in the document, which could indicate its demise before this year.
The castle had the shape of an ellipse and its outer fortification was formed by an earthen rampart reinforced with stones. The very core of the castle consisted of a prismatic defense tower and a residential palace in a protected position. There were also two rainwater tanks in the castle grounds.
Although the history of the castle was examined by the teacher Ján Bornemisza (Bojmír) in 1934, the first more professional research was carried out by the archaeologist A. Habovštiak in 1964. 1985-86 under the leadership of A. Ruttkay and later the research was supplemented in 1998-99 by the research of Gutek, Matejka and others. Archaeological finds of pottery, bone or metal objects confirm the existence of the castle until the 13th century.
It is interesting that although andesite was used to build the castle, there is no andesite quarry anywhere in the vicinity. The material was carried by hand to the top of the castle hill and even today it remains a considerable amount on the site of the castle.
At present, the slight remnants of the defensive tower and palace and the earthen rampart with a moat are visible.
How to Get There – Rudno nad Hronom 
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History – Rudno nad Hronom 
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