Castle of Eger

History of the castle:

The castle of Eger is one of the earliest Hungarian fortifications and the cathedral of the Episcopate founded by Saint Stephen was surrounded by walls as early as the 11th century. The castle reached its heyday in the 15th century under the reign of Mathias Corvinus, enjoying the bounty of the huge Episcopal estate. The castle achieved the pinnacle of its military glory in the course of the Turkish siege in 1552; the handful of poorly equipped, yet fanatically devoted defenders led by Captain István Dobó resisted the overwhelming superiority of the attaccking forces for 38 days. In the end, due to its severe losses, the Turkish host disgracefully retreated under the cover of night from under the demolished, yet unassailable walls of the fort

The castle now:

Today, only the restored western branch of the inner csatle is left standing, to the delight of its many visitors. A steep incline leads up to the entrance gate, allowing us to summon the glorious figures of István Dobó, Gergely Bornemissza, Ferenc Zay, and Tamás Varkoch, captured by the towers named after them.

Once entering the castle: the gothic palace. This multi-storied structure studded with pointed arches was the former bishop's palace, adorned with richly ornamented vaulted corridors and halls. A number of similarly monumental remains can be seen amidst the ruins of the cathedral, located in the centre of courtyard. Perhaps the most mysterious section of the castle, the dungeons, can be accessed through the entrance next to the ruins. It is easy to sense the grim atmosphere of the Turkish siege while wandering through the narrow, twisted corridors of this subterranean world.

There are several Museums in the castle:

Dobó István Vármúzeum - This shows the history of the castle,

Egri Képtár - A painting exhibition,

Kazamaták - A system of cellars under the castle,

Panoptikum - A wax museum

Géza Gárdonyi's novel entitled Stars Of Eger was chosen as Hungary's favourite book, achieving an overwhelming majority of votes in the Big Book competition of 2005. This is no wonder, since the novel is known by all Hungarians who can read and write. The castle of Eger and the heroic story of its defenders, along with the figure of István Dobó There is hardly a Hungarian who hasn't visited Eger and its castle in the past - in the course of school trips, at the very least.