Oponice Castle was probably built in the second half of the 13th century by son Peter from the Csák clan. The castle was first mentioned in 1300 as 'Oponh'. Until the death of Máte Csák of Trencsén in 1321, Oponice Castle guarded part of his wide domain in the central Nitra area. The castle was later administered by the royal exchequer until it was passed in 1392 into the hereditary possession of Nicholas Ewres, founder of the Apponyi dynasty.
The castle was expanded and its defenses strengthened, particularly during the threat from Ottoman Turkey, allowing it to withstand enemy onslaughts. Unfortunately, a family dispute over land dating from 1612 meant the end of the castle, punctuated by a fire in 1645 which caused the castle owners to finally abandon it. From time to time the castle was used by the Kurucs, Hungarian insurgents fighting the Habsburgs, until Imperial forces conquered it and had the castle demolished in the early 17th century. The castle's aristocratic tradition remained bound to the Apponyis, who maintained and preserved it until the death of the final descendant from this family, Henrich Apponyi, in 1935.
The castle’s distinct silhouette covers the preserved gun bastion and northeast Renaissance castle up to the third floor.
References:Linderhof is the smallest of the three palaces built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria and the only one which he lived to see completed.
Ludwig II, who was crowned king in 1864, began his building activities in 1867-1868 by redesigning his rooms in the Munich Residenz and laying the foundation stone of Neuschwanstein Castle. In 1868 he was already making his first plans for Linderhof. However, neither the palace modelled on Versailles that was to be sited on the floor of the valley nor the large Byzantine palace envisaged by Ludwig II were ever built.
Instead, the new building developed around the forester's house belonging to his father Maximilian II, which was located in the open space in front of the present palace and was used by the king when crown prince on hunting expeditions with his father.