Fiľakovo castle
| Fiľakovo castle | |
|---|---|
Fiľakovo hrad | |
| Fiľakovo, Slovakia | |
Aerial view of the castle | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Castle |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 48°16′18″N 19°49′31″E / 48.271667°N 19.825278°E |
Fiľakovo Castle (Slovak: Fiľakovský hrad) is a ruined castle that dates back to the Middle Ages above the town of Fiľakovo in Slovakia.
History
Archaeological findings date the settlement of the castle hill from the Copper Age (approx. 3500 BC).[1] In the 12th century, a stone castle probably stood on the site of the castle hill. The first written mention of the castle is from 1242, where it is written that the Fiľakovo castle resisted Mongol raids. The castle had several owners including Matthew III Csák.[2] In 1483, the castle was conquered by the troops of King Matthias Corvinus and Stefan Peréni was expelled from it. From 1490, the administration of the castle was entrusted to the Buda captain Blaža Raška. František Bebek marriedRaška's daughter and received the castle as a dowry. After the Turkish threat intensified, the castle was rebuilt in 1551 according to the plans of the Italian architect A. da Vedano into a massive Renaissance fortress.[3] Along with the castle, a city fortification was also built, connecting to the castle acropolis. Despite the efforts of the defenders, the castle fell into the hands of the Turks in 1554, who settled there for 39 years. From here, Beg Hamza ruled, and after him Beg Šaman ruled a large part of southern Slovakia – the Fiľakovo sanjak.[2]
Frequent military unrest between the power groups of the Habsburg Empire and the emperor also forced rapid and repeated adjustments, in 1608, 1609, 1613 and again in 1619 (after the fire of 1615). In 1621–1623, the Betlenovci fought for the castle. The captain of the castle was Tomáš Bosnyák de Magyarbel. During the Rákóczi Uprising, when František Vešeléni was the captain, the imperial army occupied the city. Both the castle and the city prospered. A watchtower was built on Červená skala and a garrison was permanently stationed on Strážná horá. Meetings and conferences of the surrounding counties were held in the castle.[2]
The castle ruins have been conserved since 1972. After the reconstruction of the Bebek Bastion, an exhibition on the history of the castle and the city was set up there.[5][6][7]
Complex
The original castle in the 12th century consisted of a four-sided tower, a perimeter wall with a palace on the southwest side and probably a rampart with palisades. During the reconstruction in 1551, the castle was expanded with a middle castle with a pair of massive pentagonal bastions (the western one still bears the name of Bebek). In the 6 meter thick wall between them, 3 artillery positions and 6 niches for hook guns were established. A fence wall with a pair of round corner bastions was also built, which defined the access corridor to the middle castle.[8]
See also
References
- ^ "Fiľakovský hrad". kamnavylet.sk. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ^ a b c Štefanek, Jozef. "Fiľakovo". Slovak castles and chateaux. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ^ "Fiľakovský hrad – kamenný svedok protitureckých bojov". Ústav manažmentu kultúry a turizmu kulturológie a etnológie (in Slovak). Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ^ "The Castle of Fiľakovo - Slovakia.travel". slovakia.travel. Archived from the original on 2026-01-23. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ^ Teraz.sk (2018-11-16). "Dejiny Fiľakovského hradu sú opradené viac než desiatkou povestí". TERAZ.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ^ "Fiľakovský hrad". Slovenský cestovateľ (in Slovak). Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ^ WEBYGROUP. "Hradné múzeum vo Fiľakove". www.muzeum.sk (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 2025-07-22. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ^ "Fiľakovo castle « Slovak castles". www.castles.sk. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
External links
- Media related to Fiľakovo Castle at Wikimedia Commons