SOME time in the early 1920s Czech painter Emil Kosa climbed one of the hills near the town of Považská Bystrica and painted this scene of the country before him.
The most important objects are two castles, or rather their ruins. On the right side, the impressive walls of Považský hrad (Považie Castle) can be seen and, in the distance, between the peaks of the Súľovské skaly rocks, we can anticipate rather than see the ruins of Súľovský hrad (Súľov Castle).
The castles sought to control the Váh valley, with their lords trying mostly to defend their own interests.
In particular, the owners of Považský Castle, (also known as Bystrica or Teplá in the past), brothers Ján and Rafael Podmanický, asserted their control with military force.
On December 29, 1550, a battle took place at Súľov Castle. Sebastián Sirmiensis, a supporter of Emperor Ferdinand I, was supposed to be acquiring the castle but the handover never took place: Rafel Podmanický and his soldiers invaded the redoubt and set about demolishing it and then setting it on fire. It took Sirmiensis three years to get Súľov back into his possession by legal means.
