Construction of the Diósgyőr Castle restarts

One of the country's most significant and well-known medieval secular buildings, the fortress built on a rock towering above the Szinva Stream valley, Diósgyőr Castle began its rebirth several years ago, in 2021. A lack of funds had halted the structural reinforcement of the towers, but the problem has now been resolved, allowing construction work to resume. The castle, which dates back to the time of Nagy Lajos, is being renovated as part of the Modern Cities Programme: the aim of the development is to turn the castle and its immediate surroundings into a major tourist centre in Central Europe. The general contractor for the project is Épkar Zrt. and FK-RASZTER Zrt..

The reconstruction of the inner castle will involve the construction of a new building with a floor area of around 3,900 square metres. In the north-western wing, the staircase tower and the ramp around it will be rebuilt. With the restoration of the towers, the city will have a covered-open observation deck on the top floors. The outer castle will also be restored, with the Queen's Garden planted with medieval gardening techniques and herbs and spices selected from contemporary sources; four pairs of bastions will be rebuilt, external castle terraces will be created and a walkable castle wall will be built on two levels.

From a show of force to a ruin - the Gothic castle of Anjouk

Lajos the Great (1342-1382), one of the most powerful kings of the Hungarians, the "Knight King", had a four-cornered Gothic castle built in 1364 on the site of the former castle, which he also annexed a large estate to. With its four huge, impregnable-looking towers, the two-storey apartments connecting the towers and the largest knights' hall in Central Europe at the time

Diósgyőr Castle was the most beautiful fortress in the country.

Along with Buda, Visegrád and Zólyom, Diósgyőr gained real importance as a royal seat when Louis took the Polish throne. The castle, situated on the edge of the wildlife-rich forests of the Bükk, was King Louis' favourite residence for several months a year.

After the death of Louis the Great, his son Sigismund of Luxemburg visited Diósgyőr several times; then in 1424 he gave the castle to his wife, Queen Borbála, which

from then on, it became the property of the kings of the day.

King Albert donated the estate to Elizabeth in 1439, King Matthias to Beatrix in 1476, King Ulászló II to Queen Anne in 1502 and King Louis II to his wife Mary in 1522.

The fortress gradually lost its importance during the Ottoman period, which meant the destruction of the medieval castle and its survival. It survived the period of conquest as a poorly guarded fortress, and was finally burnt down by an imperial military detachment in 1678. Despite its destruction, the building was still habitable in the early 1700s, but in 1704 it was sacked and burnt by Rákóczi's Kuruks. It was never restored afterwards: an inventory of 1755 reported that the castle was completely ruined and the original function of the rooms was recognisable, but they were no longer in use. Its restoration will therefore allow the reopening of an unusual unified monument of the medieval Hungarian kingdom.

Work is moving ahead with renewed vigour

The Zoltán Kolozsvári project manager, Stupeczky Attila chief architect and Vári Zsolt architect Vári reported major progress in both the exterior and interior of the castle. In November 2023, the investor ordered the reinforcement of the towers and palace wings, so the consortium could march again and start the reinforcement works: demolition of damaged and loose wall sections, wedge-walling of wall cavities, drilling of holes, installation of spiral anchors, grouting and impregnation.

After the wall sections were reinforced by grouting, the slab structure above the second floor of the inner castle could be completed. While the large stone frames on the inside of the west side of the restaurant were installed, the mechanical piping on the ground floor was completed. In addition, the contractors had to create a custom carpentry structure to install the large stone frames for the windows.

Work also progressed in the outer castle, where the masonry work on the eastern bastion was completed, the stone gargoyles of the terraces were put in place and the demolition of the roof of the rondelle began.

Demolition of the structure revealed the original carved stone ribs, the discovery of which is of archaeological significance.

The north side terrace slab with pillars was also built, as well as the chimney of the outside kitchen.

Could be ready in a year

Construction will continue apace in the coming months. The terrace level of the outer castle will be waterproofed, the screeded concrete will be finished soon, and the basalt concrete floor of the kazamata will be laid.

Soon the east bastion will be paved with stone and the masonry of the west bastion's star vault will begin; the external kitchen building will be covered with a wooden roof.

The finished slabs of the inner castle will be insulated against condensation water, and the new flooring system will be built on the second level.

The roof will soon be finished, including the roofing of the slate wings, the tiling and the tin roofing, and the installation of the windows will start in the autumn.

And if all goes according to plan, in spring 2025 Diósgyőr Castle will once again be able to welcome visitors in the splendour of its 14th century heyday.