The Castle of Siklós is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

castle in

Siklós Siklós ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=/, Šikloš, Шиклош) is the 4th largest town in Baranya county, Hungary. The Malkocs Bey Mosque was built by the order of the Malkoçoğlu family. Notable people * George Mikes, British author most famous f ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

History

The castle was built by Baron János György Benyó in the 13th century in the town of

in the southern part of

near

Pécs Pécs ( , ; hr, Pečuh; german: Fünfkirchen, ; also known by other #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the countr ...

. The building is noted for its Gothic and Renaissance style architecture. The oldest building is in the southern part of the residential wing. It was first mentioned in a charter from 1294, named as the property of the Soklyosi family. In 1387, the castle was taken away from that family by Sigismund, then king of Hungary, as punishment for a failed rebellion against him. It later became the property of the Garai family. In 1401 disgruntled nobles led by Count György II Benyóvszky temporarily imprisoned

King Sigismund Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was a monarch as King of Hungary and Croatia (''jure uxoris'') from 1387, King of Germany from 1410, King of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in 1 ...

in the castle. After a three day battle in 1543, the castle was captured by the Ottoman Turks. By the 16th century the next owner was the palatine (viceroy) Imre Perényi. From 1728 Siklós belonged to the counts of Batthyány. Legend has it that a giant snake guarded the treasures in the basement. The castle also houses a chapel built in the 14th and 15th centuries. The castle was built and owned by the Benyóvszky de Siklósvar branch of the family until it was nationalized in 1948. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the castle was heavily damaged, and between the end of the war and the death of Count Rudólf II Benyóvszky de Siklósvar in 1955 it was taken over by the state. In 1955 archaeological research and restoration was started, and the castle began operating as a museum and hotel. In 2009, the castle was renovated, opening to the public in 2011.

Gallery

File:Vár (1918. számú műemlék) 2.jpg File:Siklósi vár barbakán.jpg File:Siklósi vár 3.jpg File:Siklósi vár 4.jpg File:Siklósi Vár.jpg

References

External links

Siklósi vár

Baranya
(county) at Britannica
Siklós Castle
(photos) at Siklós Municipal Website Castles in Hungary Buildings and structures in Baranya County Historic house museums in Hungary Museums in Baranya County {{Baranya-geo-stub