Siliget. Fortress built by monks

On the shores of Lake Balaton in Hungary, the majestic ruins of a once impregnable fortress rise above the city of Siliget. It was built in 1262. At that time, after the departure of the Tatar-Mongols from Hungary, the construction of castles and fortresses capable of performing defensive functions began throughout the country on the orders of King Bela IV.

The tactics of warfare chosen by the Tatar Mongols did not provide for long sieges of the fortress walls, and the king hoped that the fortresses would stop the invaders. Bela IV himself miraculously escaped from the Tatar Mongols on a small island in the Adriatic Sea. He crossed there in a small ship when the enemies had almost captured him.

Fortunately, the pursuers did not have boats, and they could not swim to the island on horseback. It is not surprising that after such a shock, the king wished to have as many defensive fortresses as possible.

The fortress was built by the Benedictine monks, who then sold it for good money to the feudal lords who came to the forefront of history. Bela IV's predecessor, King Andras II, issued the Golden Bull code, which fixed the rights of the nobility. In particular, nobles were not forbidden to take up arms against members of the royal family if they caused damage to the country. Having issued this Magna Carta, the king went on a crusade.

Meanwhile, his wife aroused the displeasure of the feudal lords. The queen was German and neither she nor her entourage cared about the prosperity of Hungary. As a result, she annoyed the Hungarian nobles so much that they rebelled. The feudal lords executed the foreign queen, calmed down and began to wait for what the king would say when he returned from the campaign. It is not known how much the king loved his wife, but he justified the nobles, referring to his own Golden Bull.

But back to the castle. The Turks took over. During the battle, he did not suffer as much as during the years of Turkish rule. The fact is that the Turks did not at all care about maintaining the fortresses they had taken. A military commander was put in the fortress, and from there he ruled the surroundings. But a fortress or a castle did not become property, it was not inherited.

It was something like a government summer cottage. As soon as the Turkish commander retired or died, the fortress passed to someone else. There was no point in taking care of the temporary possession and somehow decorating it, so the castles dilapidated and collapsed.

For the first time, the fortress was badly damaged in 1697. Then lightning hit the powder store, and severely damaged the building. But the saddest part of the history of the fortress was during the reign of Austria. Due to internal wars between the Austrians and the Hungarians, a decree was issued according to which all the fortresses of the country had to be blown up. And so in 1702, by order of the Austrian emperor Leopold, Sigilet Castle was blown up.

What can now be seen is largely the merit of the reenactors. Restoration work began in 1991 and has not ended to this day. During this time, they made masonry, partially restored the walls, and equipped the stairs. Viewpoints have also been created that offer views of the city as well as the remains of the castle.

GPS coordinates of the fortress - 46.804641, 17.436396