Castle of Eger
Encyclopedia
Eger
Eger is the second largest city in Northern Hungary, the county seat of Heves, east of the Mátra Mountains. Eger is best known for its castle, thermal baths, historic buildings , and red and white wines.- Name :...
, Hungary. Historically, it is known for its repelling of the Turkish attack in 1552 during the Siege of Eger
Siege of Eger
The Siege of Eger occurred during the 16th century Ottoman Wars in Europe. It was a major Hungarian victory after a series of crushing defeats at the hands of Ottoman forces and checked the Ottoman expansion into both Central Europe and Eastern Europe....
.
History
The first castle was built on the high hill named Várhegy at Felsőtárkány near Eger.During the Mongol invasion in 1241, this castle was ruined, and the bishop of Eger moved it to a rocky hill in the city of Eger. On the hill, a new castle was built, and it developed rapidly. In 1470 a Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
palace was built. In 1552, a Turkish
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
army of 80,000 soldiers attacked the castle which had 1,935 defenders. The siege failed
Siege of Eger
The Siege of Eger occurred during the 16th century Ottoman Wars in Europe. It was a major Hungarian victory after a series of crushing defeats at the hands of Ottoman forces and checked the Ottoman expansion into both Central Europe and Eastern Europe....
as the defenders killed more than 8,000 Turks. A total of 1,700 of the defenders survived. In 1701, the Austrians exploded half of the castle (the Külső vár).
Archaeological excavations only started in 1925 and the castle was used by the army as barracks until 1957.
Museums
There are several museums in the castle:- Dobó István Vármúzeum - This shows the history of the castle,
- Egri Képtár - A painting exhibition,
- Kazamaták - A system of cellars under the castle,
- Panoptikum - A wax museum,
- an ancient vaseVaseThe vase is an open container, often used to hold cut flowers. It can be made from a number of materials including ceramics and glass. The vase is often decorated and thus used to extend the beauty of its contents....
exhibition,
and several periodic exhibitions.