Castle of Hollókő
Castle of Hollókő
The restored medieval castle of Hollókő lies on the edge of a prominent cliff between the Cserhát mountains, near the UNESCO World Heritage Palóc site, on the edge of a rocky outcrop.
History
After the Tartar invasion, the castle of Hollókő began to be built by members of the Illés branch of the Kacsics family on the rock next to the village. The fortress was gradually expanded over the centuries, with walls, bastions, living quarters and cisterns built on what were originally 13th-century walls. During the anarchic internal war that broke out in the early 14th century, they were forced to surrender to the Provincial Lord Mate Csák. In 1313, the country was slowly taken over by the army of King Anjou, who was once again forming a united state, and donated it to Tamás Szécsényi, a beloved of the victorious ruler. In the following centuries, his descendants owned the castle estate at Hollókő. At the beginning of the 15th century the castle (together with Szécsény, Salgó and Csővár) were occupied by the Hussite. János Giskra himself negotiated with the delegates of Hont and Nógrád counties in the castle. In 1455 (in the absence of a son heir) he pledged his fortune,including Hollókő Castle, to László Szécsényi's nephews, Mihály Guthi Országh and Albert Losonczy.
At the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century, the Losonczys and the Guthis significantly transformed the castle. The complex of pentagonal residential towers and palaces was expanded with the outer castle, where a series of stables and warehouses were located. After the Turkish occupation of Buda Castle in 1541, the fortresses of Nógrád, which the Habsburg military leadership incorporated into the royal fortress system, became increasingly endangered. The garrison stationed between the walls of the castle had the task of preventing the Turkish cavalry troops marching on their robbery portholes from invading the serfs' villages, but because of their small numbers it was difficult to accomplish.
The castles of Nógrád were occupied by Ali the Pasha of Buda in his 1552 campaign. Among them was Hollókő, whose defenders fled from their posts without resistance as the huge army approached. Later in the castle, according to a list of mercenaries from 1556, Mohammed was stationed with twenty-one mercenaries. The royal troops took it back in the fall of 1593 without a cannon shot, as the Turkish mercenaries fled from it. The small fortress, which had lost its military significance, was once again ruled by the Turks for twenty years from 1663 onwards. Later, the Polish troops of King John Sobieski, who were on their way home from the liberation of the city of Vienna, were finally liberated from the power of the "Pagans". In 1711, due to the peace and the difficult financial situation of the country, the entrances and bridges of the castle were demolished with sections of the outer courtyard. Thus the castle avoided its total destruction. In the following centuries, the harsh weather, coupled with demolitions by the locals, severely rubbed its walls. Only the archaeological excavation and restoration between 1966 and 1969 ended its destruction, so at present the castle of Hollókő is the most intact medieval castle in the surrounding area. Since 2003 life has been going on in the castle. Members of the Knighthood of Szent László are waiting for the tourists in medieval clothes. You can try medieval weapons. You will also learn to use the bow, crossbow, thrower, and spear.
nogradgeopark.eu
Website:https://hollokovara.hu/
