The Eger Castle () is a castle in

Eger Eger ( , ; ; also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights, Eger is best known for Castle of Eger, its ...

, Hungary. Historically, it is known for repelling the Turkish attack in 1552 during the Siege of Eger.

History

The first castle was built on the high hill named Várhegy at Felsőtárkány near Eger. During the

Mongol invasion The Mongol invasions and conquests took place during the 13th and 14th centuries, creating history's largest contiguous empire, the Mongol Empire (1206–1368), which by 1260 covered large parts of Eurasia. Historians regard the Mongol devastati ...

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 palace was built. In 1552, a Turkish army of 35,000-40,000 soldiers attacked the castle which had 2,100-2,300 defenders. The siege failed as the Turks suffered heavy casualties. A total of 1,700 of the defenders survived. After that Turks besieged the castle again in 1596, resulting in a Turkish victory. 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

vase A vase ( or ) is an open container. It can be made from a number of materials, such as ceramics, glass, non- rusting metals, such as aluminium, brass, bronze, or stainless steel. Even wood has been used to make vases, either by using tree specie ...

exhibition, and several periodic exhibitions.

External links

Official website
Buildings and structures in Eger

Buildings and structures in Heves County Museums in Heves County History museums in Hungary {{Hungary-castle-stub