You are now standing on the part of the castle most exposed to sieges. In three directions, there are no higher hills, but on the eastern side, from a hill within cannon range, which the locals call "Vrsok" (meaning: hill in Slavic), the besiegers once intensively bombarded the castle.
A siege always required precise artillery preparation, and a high ground within range gave the besiegers an outstanding advantage. It is no wonder, then, that in this part of the castle, the walls were reinforced from the inside with earthwork to withstand the heavy artillery fire.
The Fox Bastion was the most exposed to artillery, as it jutted out from the plane of the wall – although it is not a classic Italian bastion like the New Bastion, it was meant to defend the wall connecting it with the Protection Bastion. It is striking that no new corner was formed in a southern direction, so this defensive work can be considered a kind of "half-Italian" bastion, and it does not cover the southeastern wall section – although there the castle walls still stand directly on the rock of the castle hill, and the mountain is steep too, making this side practically assault-proof. Plans were made to modify the Fox Bastion and build out the new corner, but these remained only plans, just as the three newer Italian bastions were never completed in the end.
Back in the day, up to six hundred soldiers could fit in the castle, but its permanent garrison hovered around three hundred personnel – and according to local legends, Nógrád Castle is still not without guards today! Most castles have ghosts and spirits, and Nógrád is no exception among these. Every night, a man with a cat's head walks around the castle, checking that it is not in careless hands. And if he is not the one seen, then headless Turkish riders gallop round and round inside and outside the castle on horses without jaws, making a huge noise with the horses' horseshoes.
Walking further along the railing, back towards the New Bastion, we will also stop at the once imposing Empress Bastion.