Traversing the Poprad River Valley, along which for centuries ran the traditional trans-Carpathian trade route, it is worth stopping in Rytro at the foot of the characteristic very steep hill. It rises right above the river with its top crowned by the ruins of the castle. The wooden watchtower settlement atthe customs unit at the Poprad River was erected here in the 13th century. The fi rst stone part of the castle, the massive cylindrical tower, was built in the end of the same century. It is the best-preserved part of the castle that was later expanded in the 14th century. The fortifi ed castle in Rytro was destroyed in 1657 by the Transylvanian army led by George II Rákóczi, an ally of the Swedish king, and afterwards the castle fell into ruin. Apart from the tower, only the remnants of the walls of a residential building have been preserved.