 The fortress was last used as a stronghold during Rákóczi's War of Independence; following the Habsburg victory near Trenčín in August 1708 it was destroyed like many nobility strongholds in the region, and permanently abandoned.It was first excavated in 1981 and further in 2002, 2008, and 2015-2016.A thesis in archaeology held in 2019 at Masaryk University in Brno provides an extensive analysis of the Apponyi fortress as well as the Apponyi Castle and the nearby ruined castle of Čeklís near Bernolákovo.