At the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries Jasenov castle belonged to the noble man Peter from Bačkov. He was formerly an ally of the king, Charles Robert, during the period of struggle with the family of Omodejs (of the Abov county). Later, because Peter turned agains the king and tried to murder him, his property was thus entirely confiscated and in 1317 most of it given to the faithful Philip Drugeth. Since then it was owned continously by the Drugeths, still their’s even in the 17th century as a part of the the domain of castles Brekov and Jasenov.
The first written document mentions the castle in the 1320s. The geographical position of the castle, built in the mountains away from the main provincial road was suitable for the function of a noble lord‘s seat. The nearby Brekov served the more typical purpose of a guard castle in the service of defending the local land or accomodating the king on his travels. George I Rákoczi’s army conquered and destroyed the Jasenov castle in 1644, during the third great uprising against the Habsburg empire. After the initiative of Count Andrássy, the vanishing ruin of the castle was partly conserved, several objects were roofed and the entrance part was fixed during the beginning of the 20th century. Today, however, only ruins remain.
References:Celje Castle was once the largest fortification on Slovenian territory. The first fortified building on the site (a Romanesque palace) was built in the first half of the 13th century by the Counts of Heunburg from Carinthia on the stony outcrop on the western side of the ridge where the castle stands. It had five sides, or four plus the southern side, which was a natural defence. The first written records of the castle date back to between 1125 and 1137; it was probably built by Count Gunter. In the western section of the castle, there was a building with several floors. Remains of the walls of this palatium have survived. In the eastern section, there was an enclosed courtyard with large water reservoirs. The eastern wall, which protects the castle from its most exposed side, was around three metres thicker than the rest of the curtain wall. The wall was topped with a parapet and protected walkway.