Castle Diósgyőr, – Past being renewed, historical squares being redecorated

The Castle of Diósgyőr is being renovated and is getting to look like the castle in its heyday. The castle is being renovated with respect to its romantic ruins: bastions, wings are being rebuilt, and the knight chamber, which used to be the biggest one in Central Europe when built, will be seen again.

The archaeological excavations prove that in the 9-10th century the rock hill in Diósgyőr used to give place a hill fort from earth, which may have been destroyed during the Mongol invasion. Historical sources first mention the oval stone castle with two towers in 1316. The Ernye family had it built.

Diósgyőr had its heyday during the reign of King Louis the Great (1342-1382), who had the clan-owned castle converted radically. He had a pompous Gothic castle with four corner towers, two-storey suit-wings and chapel built which was surrounded by a multi-angular external castle. The comfortable and cosy Castle Palace protected with ramparts was an engagement gift and residence in the countryside to 6 wives of kings until 1526.

From the 16th century ramparts were built to protect the castle against the attacks of the Turks, but a few centuries later captains of the castle, worrying about the castle, complained about the destruction in their letters. After the tragedy of Mohács, the castle started to deteriorate.

The castle, which had already lost its strategic rate, started its last deterioration in the late 17th century and by the 20th century only the four towers and the southern front wall remained in ruins. After several enthusiastic attempts, the excavation started in 1962, lasting for ten years. As a result, the Castle of Diósgyőr was conserved in a ruinous state.

The castle was barely waist-deep when, in 2013, the reconstruction of complete parts of the structure of the castle was undertaken within the framework of the project “the cultural development of Diósgyőr-Lillafüred complex and ecotourism”. The objective of the work was to have the castle reveal more of its history, the monarchs, events, human lives that are connected to its walls.

The project also included the construction of an Arena for Jousting Tournaments and a related Marketplace, as well as the remodelling of the Hanging Gardens of Lillafüred. The reconstructed Castle of Diósgyőr was opened on 30 August 2014. Period furniture, costumed animators, historical games, historical and modern devices help time travel to historical periods which are hiding many more secrets and curiosities than one would ever think!

The Yard of the Castle

The northern-eastern and southern-western flights of the main staircase have been rebuilt by using original carved stones. They lead to the ambulatory.

The Arena for Jousting Tournaments

Next to the castle, on the site of the former knight castle the arena for jousting tournaments has been built to give place for traditional jousting tournaments, horse races, summer theatre performances, festivals and outdoor concerts. The grandstands were made to follow the line of the outer walls of the castle excavated during archaeological research. Some parts of the walls can be seen by the visitors.

Knight Chamber

The knight chamber occupying the whole floor of the northern wing will be seen again. In the middle it is divided into two galleries by three pillars. With its area of 338 m2 it was one of the biggest rooms in the contemporary Central-European castle architecture.

Chapel of the Castle

The central room of the eastern wing, the two-storey, octagonal sanctuary chapel has been rebuilt as a sacred area. The renaissance altar by Giovanni Dalmata, the so-called Madonna of Diósgyőr is thought to have been built for the upstairs part.

Wings of the Palace

Three of the four one-storey wings have been rebuilt: the one with the knight chamber in the north, the one with the chapel and the king’s suit in the east, and the one with the queens’ suits in the south. On the ground floor of the northern wing the rooms serving the needs of the visitors can be found. The rooms of the eastern and southern wings show the life in the mediaeval castle as well as various crafts can be seen in interactive areas. Upstairs, the western wing with former dining rooms waits for the visitors with its big, open terrace.

Wine cellar

In the west wing the original stairs lead to the former wine cellar consisting of two large rooms with high ceilings. In the future tavern and mediaeval open-view kitchen will offer special foods and drinks here.

The Towers

The tower in the south-west remains ruins caused by a lightning struck in the 1800s, and in this way it keeps the picturesque, romantic sight of the castle people have got used to. On the spiral stairs visitors can reach the rooms of the three other towers and can see exhibitions upstairs, and on the roofs they can admire the view of the area of the castle and the forests in the Bükk Mountains.