The last dot behind the Let's Save Kysak Castle project, which we supported last year with a grant from the Together for the Region program, was implemented with the arrival of spring. Today, on the way to the defunct castle, you will find boards with information about volunteer activities and work carried out so far on the restoration of the castle, about the finds found and how to proceed in case of noticing the activities of illegal finders, the so-called detectorists.

The project coordinator, Martin Sárossy from OZ Rákociho cesta (in the photo on the right, with volunteers involved), says:
"It was the second year of archaeological research with the aim of examining those objects of the castle that were partially disturbed by illegal finders. We worked on making accessible and presenting part of the foundations of the building, which seems to have a rectangular floor plan. We uncovered the only above-ground remnant of masonry, which is in the castle moat. And in the future, if we succeed, we would also like to present the foundations of the tower of Kysak Castle, which is at the highest point and there will certainly be a perfect view from there."

A badger helped them

As part of the project, a series of summer archaeological seminars led by an archaeologist were held. Among the twelve volunteers from the INEX organization who helped with the excavation work, there were also students from abroad. They found arrowheads, half spurs and small medieval coins. An interesting fact is that they were helped by a badger.

"We started where the badger made a burrow. From below, he dug up valuable finds that found themselves on the surface. Thanks to this, we found a silver coin on the very first day," explained Martin Sárossy.

The village of Kysak started the rescue of the castle by geodetic survey of the area. In 2024, it continued with the first stage of archaeological research in cooperation with the INEX organization and OZ Rákociho cesta. As in the case of the neighboring castles in Obišovce and Sokoli, the intention is to present the castle architecture in an understandable form and strengthen the tourist potential of this place.

"The trio of nearby castles on the Hornád River - Kysak, Sokoľ and Obišov Castle, can become an interesting destination for multi-day tourism associated with overnight stays of visitors in our region," adds Martin Sárossy.