Game of Thrones at Lake Balaton: must-see castles

Did you know that there was once a chatelaine who threw her husband off a tower? And that many of our border forts were never occupied by the enemy? Travelo.hu collected forts and castles around Lake Balaton, where Game of Thrones-like events happened and legendary loves were born.

Can you think of any better programme at Lake Balaton in autumn than visiting historical castles (and tasting wine, enjoying the sauna)? Visiting the following fortresses and castles equals a history lesson.

Castle of Csobánc – where the captain was a hell-raiser

Walking to Csobánc is a great family programme, which you can connect with the visiting of the Liliomkert market as the hill is only a few kilometres from Káptalantóti and Gyulakeszi. The tourist path leads between the vineyards and, even though there are some humps, you don’t need outstanding fitness to climb up to the castle.

The Castle of Csobánc was owned by the Gyulaffy family since the 14^th century. In its heyday it was a castle that the Turks could never occupy. Its most famous captain was László Gyulaffy, “the Hungarian Achilles”, who didn’t only fight with the Turks, but also the captain of Szigliget’s castle, Bálint Magyar. If he didn’t get the soldier’s pay, he went pillaging around the neighbourhood. The castle was finally blown up by the imperial troops after the Rákóczi war of independence in the 18^th century.

Castle of Szigliget – ravaged by lightning, not the Turks

The Castle of Szigliget is another tourist site, which you can climb easily for the breath-taking panorama. The fortress was built by the Abbey of Pannonhalma in the 1260s to be later expanded by others. The impregnable castle’s ravage was caused by a lightning, but it was also blown up in 1702. The ruins were renovated in 2013, the castle got new walls, roof and towers which reflect its onetime conditions. It can be visited all year around.

Kinizsi’s Castle – everything but romantic

The castle of Nagyvázsony is not a particularly romantic place and not only due to the piled “wolf pit”. Things happened here that evoke the intrigues of Game of Thrones. The base of the castle was built by the Vezsenyi family in the 15^th century, the property was inherited by King Matthias who gifted it to his legendary soldier, Pál Kinizsi. His wife, Benigna Magyar remarried twice after the death of the general, but she somehow got bored of her husbands, because she threw her third husband off the tower. She got away with a simple exile.