Castle of Diósgyőr

The first castle of Diósgyőr was built probably in the 12th century and was destroyed during the Mongol invasion (1241-42). In the earliest times the castle was an oval structure with a rounded donjon, surrounded by a polygonal outer wall. In 1316 it was mentioned as “new castle”, which confirms the theory that it was built in place of a destroyed castle. The current, Gothic onew was built after the invasion and reached the peak of its importance during the reign of King Louis the Great (1342-1382). Later it became a wedding gift for the queens of Hungary, which it remained until the Ottoman invasion of Hungary in the 16th century. By the end of the 1600s it was already in ruins. Archaeological excavations started in the 1960s. In 2014 the castle was completely rebuilt, the reconstructed rooms are furnished with Mediaeval-style furniture. Being one of our major projects, Diósgyőr castle has been reconstructed in several periods, and the models appeared in several animated movies and other exhibition installations. These can be seen not only in Diósgyőr castle but also at the Ópusztaszer exhibition. The theoretical reconstruction was created along the research of Gergely Buzás and Emese Lovász.