After the fall of Buda in 1526, the Turkish threat was an unimaginable reality of the Štiavnica region for an unimaginable 150 years. The Turks conquered many villages in the area, but Štiavnica and its wealth were never conquered. The people of Štiavnica sacrificed a lot for their safety: they built the city fortifications, rebuilt the parish church (now the Old Castle) into a military fortress, built external walls and stone city gates to protect the access roads to the city (the Piarg Gate is preserved). The fuse was the inner fortification circuit with other gates in the center of the city.
The new castle allowed the use of modern artillery weapons. It was part of an ingenious system of fortified wrecks with a permanent guard service. From his tower, during the day with smoke and at night with fire Morze, the vartas warned of the observed danger. Signals were passed from hill to hill, from town to town to protect Central Slovak mining sites. Today, the New Castle building houses an exhibition of anti-Turkish battles with unique demonstrations of weapons. In addition, the castle offers visitors a unique view of the city.