Castle of Szabolcs

Szabolcs castle, standing in one of the bends of the Tisza river, is today the most well-preserved 11th century earthen fortress in Central-Eastern Europe. According to Anonymus, the famous 12th-century chronicler, the eponymous Szabolcs was one of the leaders of the conquest as a member of the Árpád dynasty, but it is possible that the monumental fortress bears the name of its first ispán (reeve). The size of this triangular castle is still impressive today. 300,000 cubic meters of earth and at least 4,000 cubic meters of wood were used to build its walls, which are at least ten meters high. Outside the moat, a fort was formed, and in the center of it rose the large, three-nave basilica, the remains of which are preserved by today’s Reformed church, so today it is the oldest standing sacral building in the country. On May 20, 1092, the famous Council of Szabolcs was held here under the leadership of King Saint Ladislaus, where the 3rd law-book of St. Ladislaus III was born. The theoretical reconstruction was prepared according to the expert work of Maxim Mordovin and Gergely Buzás commissioned by the Szabolcs municipality.