Restoring the part of the Fülek castle that has been closed for two hundred years

The municipality of Fülek is restoring the oldest part of the castle, which dates back to the 12th-13th centuries and is in poor technical condition, and a lookout tower will be built in the upper castle, in the Old Tower, which is currently closed to visitors, the town of Fülek, on the Slovakian side of the border with Nógrád, said on Thursday.

Two decades of recovery, now even more to go

As stated in the press release, the city has been working continuously on the restoration of the castle since 2003. During this time, mainly thanks to EU funds, large parts of the lower and middle castle have been restored, including the Bebek Tower, where the Castle Museum is located. In addition to the restoration of the historic buildings of the castle, the city has also built a completely new infrastructure, including a car park and public toilets for tourists.

While the oldest part of the castle, the upper part, where 800-year-old buildings are still standing, is still in poor technical condition

- they pointed out, adding that stones falling on the streets below the castle had also been a problem in recent years.

Over the years, the city has managed to secure over €705,000 in funding for the restoration of the upper castle, but the total cost of the project is estimated at over €767,000. The Ministry of Investment, Regional Development and Information Technology of the Slovak Republic has now awarded Fülek a grant of €100,000 under the Slovakia Programme.

They will also work on the Romanesque palace

The works include the reconstruction, conservation and restoration of several buildings. The project includes the restoration of the Hajdú Tower, the corridor leading to the Upper Castle, currently closed due to the poor condition of the walls, the Clock Tower, the eastern part of the Romanesque Palace and the mill in the courtyard of the Upper Castle.