Gýmeš is a castle ruin on the steep quartzite hill Dúň (514 m above sea level) on the southern slope of the Tribeč Mountains, approximately 5 km north of the village of Jelenec (Gýmeš). The ruin is a prominent landmark of the wide surroundings. Gýmeš is one of the ancestral castles of the noble Forgáč family – together with the Galician Castle.
The castle was built in the 13th century and was one of the last where construction work was still underway in the 18th century. Gýmeš was finally abandoned only in the 19th century.
There are several theories about the origin of the name. The word “gím” meant deer in Old Hungarian. The second version also speaks of the folk name of the hill “Dym” and from this name the village of Dýmeš, later Gýmeš, was also named.
We started from village Kostoľany pod Tribečom and made a circular hike. David was 4 years old at that time.
