Fascinating Hungarian castle on a volcanic hill

One of the most beautiful castles of Hungary can be found in the northernmost area of the country, and no mistake, tells magyarmuzeumok.blog.hu. Yet what welcomes us here is nearly the same as how we pictured the castles of fairy tales as a child.

Füzér is a village in the northern part of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, right at the Slovakian border. Many would not even know its name, were it not for its unique tourist attraction yet known by only a few. Though the castle of Füzér is a miracle itself!

First of all, it is placed on a volcanic hill which raises the castle above the village, thus creating the typical position of a fairy tale castle. Moreover, it is one of the oldest castles of Hungary, according to sources, it already existed at the time of the Mongol invasion, but certain information about the castle only comes from 1264. According to the suppositions, it was built by the kindred of Aba in the Árpád era, but owners changed several times through the years.

Andrew II of Hungary bought it from the Abas, while after the Mongol invasion the castle got back to its original owners. Later Charles I of Hungary decided to monopolize and give it to the Italian family Drugeth of French origins who helped him to get the Hungarian throne, and Sigismund of Luxemburg did the same with the family Perényi, after coming to power.

Here two interesting things need to be mentioned, which only a few know about. One of them is that Péter Perényi is believed to have hidden the crown in the castle for a year after the coronation of John Szapolyai in 1526. The other one is that it has never belonged to the Ottoman Hungary, therefore it has never served as a strategic unit.

Nevertheless, the castle standing peacefully could not avoid its tragic faith. The Perényis were followed by the Báthory and the Nádasdi families, but due to the activity of Ferenc Nádasdi in the Wesselényi conspiracy, the castle was confiscated while its owner was beheaded. After that, the imperial troops completely ruined the castle, saying though it has no strategic significance, it must not be used for another conspiracy. Its remains were plundered, while the rocks were taken away mainly by local people.

Fortunately, it was re-discovered during the Hungarian Reform Era after realizing that it was an important relic of the national history, yet, until the 20th century, it remained only the romantic ruins of a castle immortalized by several paintings. In 1977 archaeologists István Feld and Juan Cabello began to excavate it, but their project was left unfinished because of the lack of sources. The excavation could only go on after 1992, while the complete reconstruction was started in the XXI. century by the plans of the age. Today the castle is resplendent in almost its original state, surrounded by the marvelous scenery of a fairy tale.

Ce: bm

Source: magyarmuzeumok.blog.hu