Uzhhorod Castle
Encyclopedia
Uzhhorod Castle is an extensive citadel
on a hill in Uzhhorod
, Ukraine
. It was built in a mixture of architectural styles and materials between the 13th and 18th centuries and figured heavily in the history of Hungary
. The very name of Uzhhorod/Ungvár refers to the castle, translating as "the Uzh
castle".
The earliest stone buildings on the site of the castle may be dated to the 13th century. Charles I of Hungary
gave the castle grounds to his Italian supporters from the Drugeth
family. They erected a rectangular defensive structure with rhomboid bastion
s that recalled the castles of South Italy.
The fortification, augmented in the 16th and 17th centuries, underwent numerous sieges (the last one by Francis II Rákóczi
in 1703-04) but was never taken. In the 18th century it was modernised under the supervision of Lemaire, a military engineer from France.
As the male line of the Drugeth family died out in 1691, Kristina Drugeth, heiress to the vast Drugeth dominions, married Count Miklós Bercsényi, making him the third richest man in Hungary. Bercsényi, remembered as a key figure in Rákóczi's War for Independence
, resided in the fortified palace within the castle. It was there that he treated with the ambassadors of Peter the Great and Louis XIV concerning the establishment of an anti-Habsburg alliance. In 1711 Bercsényi fled Hungary, and his estates were confiscated to the Austrian crown.
As the need for a military stronghold in the area declined with the extension of the Habsburg
dominions further to the east, Ungvár Castle was given over to the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church which opened a school there. In 1728 and 1879 fire ravaged the castle grounds.
Citadel
A citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
on a hill in Uzhhorod
Uzhhorod
Uzhhorod or Uzhgorod is a city located in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. It is the administrative center of the Zakarpattia Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Uzhhorodskyi Raion within the oblast...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. It was built in a mixture of architectural styles and materials between the 13th and 18th centuries and figured heavily in the history of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. The very name of Uzhhorod/Ungvár refers to the castle, translating as "the Uzh
Uzh River
The Uzh is a river in Ukraine and Slovakia. Its name comes from the ancient west slavic dialect word už, meaning "Snake", ....
castle".
The earliest stone buildings on the site of the castle may be dated to the 13th century. Charles I of Hungary
Charles I of Hungary
Charles I , also known as Charles Robert , was the first King of Hungary and Croatia of the House of Anjou. He was also descended from the old Hungarian Árpád dynasty. His claim to the throne of Hungary was contested by several pretenders...
gave the castle grounds to his Italian supporters from the Drugeth
Drugeth
The Drugeth was a noble family of the Kingdom of Hungary in the 14-17th centuries whose possessions were situated on the north-eastern parts of the kingdom. The ancestors of the family left Apulia for Hungary during the reign of King Charles I...
family. They erected a rectangular defensive structure with rhomboid bastion
Bastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
s that recalled the castles of South Italy.
The fortification, augmented in the 16th and 17th centuries, underwent numerous sieges (the last one by Francis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi Hungarian aristocrat, he was the leader of the Hungarian uprising against the Habsburgs in 1703-11 as the prince of the Estates Confederated for Liberty of the Kingdom of Hungary. He was also Prince of Transylvania, an Imperial Prince, and a member of the Order of the Golden...
in 1703-04) but was never taken. In the 18th century it was modernised under the supervision of Lemaire, a military engineer from France.
As the male line of the Drugeth family died out in 1691, Kristina Drugeth, heiress to the vast Drugeth dominions, married Count Miklós Bercsényi, making him the third richest man in Hungary. Bercsényi, remembered as a key figure in Rákóczi's War for Independence
Rákóczi's War for Independence
Rákóczi's War for Independence was the first significant attempt to topple therule of Habsburg Austria over Hungary. The war was fought by a group of noblemen, wealthy and high-ranking progressives and was led by Francis II Rákóczi Rákóczi's War for Independence (1703–1711) was the first...
, resided in the fortified palace within the castle. It was there that he treated with the ambassadors of Peter the Great and Louis XIV concerning the establishment of an anti-Habsburg alliance. In 1711 Bercsényi fled Hungary, and his estates were confiscated to the Austrian crown.
As the need for a military stronghold in the area declined with the extension of the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
dominions further to the east, Ungvár Castle was given over to the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church which opened a school there. In 1728 and 1879 fire ravaged the castle grounds.