In July 1848 the castle burned, and it never recovered from that fire. It is worth saying plainly what did not happen: no Ottoman army ever took Uhrovec and no siege brought these walls down. The castle had lost its purpose the moment the Zays moved into the manor, and the family let it go — Slovak accounts say the Zays themselves helped it on its way. What stands on the ridge today is what a large medieval castle looks like when it is abandoned rather than stormed: gate, keep and palace ranges still up, and held up now by volunteers.V júli 1848 hrad zhorel a z toho požiaru sa už nespamätal. Oplatí sa jasne povedať, čo sa nestalo: Uhrovec nikdy nedobyli Turci a jeho múry nezvalilo nijaké obliehanie. Hrad stratil zmysel už vtedy, keď sa Zayovci presťahovali do kaštieľa, a rod ho nechal svojmu osudu — slovenské pramene hovoria, že k jeho deštrukcii prispeli napokon sami Zayovci. To, čo dnes stojí na hrebeni, je obraz veľkého stredovekého hradu, ktorý opustili, nie dobyli: brána, veža aj palácové krídla, dnes držané dobrovoľníkmi.
