Castle of Diósgyőr

The Castle of Diósgyőr is a medieval castle in the historical town of Diósgyőr which is now part of the Northern Hungarian city Miskolc. At the foot of the Bükk hill, 8 km far from the center of Miskolc, in a beautiful natural area, we can find the Castle of Diósgyőr. It was mentioned the first time in about 1200. Since 1340 it was the kings' castle, but mainly the property of the queens. That's why we refer to it as the "Castle of Queens". The walls of the castle were likely constructed around the 13th-century upon a rock hill elevating from the valley of the Szinva stream. The castle has a complicated history, as it was destroyed not long after construction during a Mongol invasion that left the structure in ruins. After the invasion, King Béla IV donated the castle to many of his most- favorable men. In 1364, King Louis the Great of Hungary attached a large estate to the castle, and eventually, it became known as the finest castle in the country. The castle’s design was based on Italian and French models complete with a moat, four unconquerable towers, two-story suites connecting the towers, and the largest great hall in all of medieval Central Europe. The castle was truly one of the most beautiful of its time. When Louis took the Hungarian and Polish throne, he spent some time in Diósgyőr Castle because of its proximity to the Bükk forest. The forest, now a national park, was filled with deer, bears, boar, and bison. It was the ideal hunting grounds for the king. Following the death of Louis, the castle became the residence of many queens. After the tragedy that was the Battle of Mohács in 1526, the castle began to deteriorate. Nineteenth-century paintings and photographs only show the castle in ruins, but in 1962, a restoration effort began and lasted for ten years.