Castle of Diósgyőr
The Castle of Diósgyőr is a medieval castle in the
historical town of Diósgyőr which is now part of the Northern Hungarian city
Miskolc.
The first castle of Diósgyőr was built probably in the 12th
century and was destroyed during the Mongol invasion (1241–42). The current,
Gothic castle was built after the invasion and reached the peak of its
importance during the reign of King Louis the Great (1342-1382). Later it
became a wedding gift for the queens of Hungary, which it remained until the
Ottoman invasion of Hungary in the 16th century. By the end of the 17th century
it was already in ruins. Archaeological excavations started in the 1960s. In
2014 the castle was completely rebuilt, the reconstructed rooms are furnished
with Mediaeval-style furniture.
History
The first castle was built in the 12th century, it is likely
that it was an earthwork and timber castle and was destroyed during the Mongol
invasion (1241–1242.) The castle that stands today was probably built by King
Béla IV, who, after the Mongols left the country, ordered a castle to be built
on every hilltop. In the earliest times the castle was an oval structure with a
rounded donjon, surrounded by a polygonal outer wall. In 1316 it was mentioned
as "new castle", which confirms the theory that it was built in place
of a destroyed castle. Judging from a document listing the taxes paid by towns
in 1330 it seems the town around the castle was one of the richest towns of the
county.
The castle had its prime during the reign of Louis I (Louis
the Great). Its importance lay in standing near the road leading to Poland (the
mother of Louis the Great, Elizabeth Lokietkówna, was a Polish princess; Louis
himself became King of Poland in 1370.) The king had the castle rebuilt and
modernised. Surrounded by several walls, the inner castle was built around a
rectangular courtyard, and it had four towers, one on each corner. On the first
floor were the storerooms and on the second floor were the rooms and the
Knights' Hall, which was 25 meters long and 13 meters wide. The modernising of
the castle was finished under the reign of Louis' daughter Mary. The castle was
surrounded by a 4 metre deep moat.
In 1364 the nearby town Miskolc was annexed to the Diósgyőr
estate. In 1381 the Peace Treaty of Turin was signed in the castle of Diósgyőr.
In the treaty the Italian town of Venice was compelled to raise the flag of the
Anjou dynasty on the St. Mark square every Sunday. In the north-eastern tower
of the castle there is a waxworks exhibition showing the wax figures of King
Louis and the Venetian envoy.
Diósgyőr lost some of its importance when the personal union
between Hungary and Poland ended (Louis shared the two countries between his
two daughters Mary and Jadwiga.) For the next few centuries the castle was a
holiday residence for queens. The last queen owning the castle was Maria, wife
of Louis II. She gave up the castle formally in 1546 (by this time it had been
occupied by the ruling prince of Transylvania.)
When the Ottoman army began to occupy the southern territories
of Hungary, the castle was fortified. Its owners, the Gyarmati Balassa family
turned it into a large fortress, and they had an Italian-style rondelle built
to the north-western tower. The slim turrets were replaced by strong bastions.
This was the last time the castle was rebuilt; after 1564 the owners changed
frequently, and the castle slowly deteriorated. In 1596 the Ottoman army
occupied the Castle of Eger and defeated the Christian army at Mezőkeresztes.
The castle of Diósgyőr fell too; it was built to be a holiday residence and was
never intended to be a large fortress that withstands the siege of a foreign
army. From this time Diósgyőr was under Ottoman occupation and the area was
ruled by the Pasha of Eger until 1687 when this part of the country was freed
from Turkish rule. By this time the castle lost all of its military importance.
The castle today
Aerial view of the ruins of the castle
The restoration of the castle began in 1953. Originally only
the parts threatened with collapsing were restored, the archaeological
excavation began only in 1960. In the early 21st century plans to rebuild the
castle were made, and by August 2014 the castle was almost completely rebuilt.
Before 2014 there was an exhibition of the history of the
castle and the Pauline monastery, a weapons exhibition and the waxworks showing
the signing of the Torino Peace Treaty in the northeastern tower (which
belonged to the King's quarters). The north-western tower functions as a
looking-tower, with a view on Diósgyőr and the surrounding hills; on the ground
floor there is a small mint where tourists can make commemorative coins with
their own hands. The south-western tower is in ruins. One of the main tourist
attractions of the castle is a larger waxworks exhibition in the outer castle.
This exhibition is one of the largest waxworks exhibitions of Central Europe
and it shows six scenes of everyday life in medieval Diósgyőr.
The Castle Plays are held twice in every year (May and
August). Reviving the Middle Ages, the reign of King Louis and events of
Hungarian history, tournaments and open air plays are held, and there is a
medieval fair next to the castle. An important musical event, the Kaláka Folk
Festival is held on the second weekend of July each year.
Unlike the castles of Eger and Kőszeg, the castle of
Diósgyőr is surrounded by modern concrete buildings instead of a historical
town, but it is still a popular tourist destination, thanks to the castle
plays, the museum, the waxworks exhibitions and Mrs. Déry's House, a small
museum dedicated to the popular 19th century actress Róza Széppataki Déry, in
the house where she lived.
Address: Miskolc, Vár u. 24, 3534 Hungary
Opened: 1271
Phone: +36 46 533 355
Website: http://diosgyorivar.hu/
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