Kapi

Kapi Castle (Kapušany) is in Slovakia, It is situated 8 km north-east of Eperjes (Presov), in the Szekcsői basin between the Sajó and Sárosi mountains, on the left bank of the Szekcső stream. Location on My Google Maps: https://tinyurl.com/4bn374ks

The area around the castle has been inhabited since the early Stone Age. Pottery and pottery tools from the late Stone Age have also been found. Cremation graves between the 3rd millennium BC and 1800 BC have been excavated. From the 4th to the 6th century BC until the Roman period, a human settlement also stood on the right bank of the Ladzinka stream, which borders the site.

The Avars or Slavs probably built the first castle of Kapi on the hill of Maglóc before the Hungarian conquest of Árpád’s Magyars. Later it became the castle of the royal forest district of Sáros County, called Toboly (Maglóc).

The present village was founded in the 12th century at the crossroads of important trade routes. It was first mentioned in 1248 as “Kapy”. Its church and parish priest are mentioned in the papal tithe register of 1332-1337. The village belonged to the Sárosi manor, from the 14th century it belonged to the local nobility, and from the 15th century it belonged to the Kapi castle.

In 1315 King Károly Róbert conquered Kapi Castle from Tarkői, Henrik, the Comes of Sáros, and destroyed it. In 1410 the castle was acquired by Tétényi András, ancestor of the Kapi family, who had it rebuilt. In 1418, with the permission of King Zsigmond, Kapi András was granted the right to hold a fair on St. Martin’s Day and every second Sunday of the month. The village in 1427 had 65 households.

In 1444 the castle was occupied by the Hussite mercenary leader, Giskra. In 1468 Szapolyai Imre besieged it, and in 1537 Lenard Feld conquered it for King Habsburg Ferdinand. In 1685 it was taken by Thököly, but General Schulz recaptured it for the Habsburg Emperor. In 1711 it was burnt down by Kerczer András, but it was rebuilt in 1712, but in 1715 it had to be demolished by imperial order and has been a ruin ever since.

In 1691 two mansions of the castle were mentioned in the village. One of them was already in ruins, destroyed by the Kuruc troops. The other one is a new two-story wooden building owned by Kapi Gábor. The village has belonged to the Fehérváry family since the 18th century. In 1786 the village had 94 houses and 628 inhabitants.

The Kapi family

The Kapi family was descended from the Tétény Clan. Tétényi András received the castle of Kapi in Sáros county from King Sigismund in 1410 for his valor, and from then on the family used this name. The family took part in the Battle of Mohács, and then sided with Szapolyai resulting in the loss of the estate, but later received land in Transylvania. They also fought alongside Bethlen Gábor, and Kapi György became the chief Comes of Hunyad County in the 1660s. After that, the Kapis did not play an important role.

Modern times

In 1910 the village had 784 inhabitants, mostly Slovaks, with a significant Hungarian minority. In 2001, 1970 of the 2044 inhabitants were Slovaks. In 2011, 2029 of the 2170 inhabitants were Slovaks.

Kapi Castle is 504 meters high. Easy access, about 2.5 km walk from the car park, with a steep climb in places. The entrance fee is €1, which can be bought in the small gift shop near the entrance. The cashier is a very nice gentleman. He doesn’t speak Hungarian but he is very nice and helpful. The castle has a wonderful view. If you know where to look, you can also see the castle of Sáros, Saris. In the tower, you can take the stairs to the roof, from where you can see the whole area.

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Here are a few more pictures of Kapi Castle: