The waxworks museum of the Castle of Diósgyőr is a waxworks museum, one of the largest ones in Central Europe. It is situated in the northeastern tower of the

Castle of Diósgyőr The Castle of Diósgyőr is a medieval castle in the historical town of Diósgyőr which is now part of the Northern Hungarian city Miskolc. The first Castle of Diósgyőr was built probably in the 12th century and was destroyed during the M ...

, in

Miskolc Miskolc ( , ; ; Czech language, Czech and ; ; ; ) is a city in northeastern Hungary, known for its heavy industry. With a population of 161,265 as of 1 January 2014, Miskolc is the List of cities and towns in Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, ...

Diósgyőr Diósgyőr (Hungarian: Help:IPA/Hungarian, �dioːʒɟøːr is a historical town in Hungary, today it is a part of Miskolc. The medieval castle in Diósgyőr was a favourite holiday residence of Hungarian kings and queens; today it is a popular t ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, 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 and ...

. Most of the wax figures can be seen in the rondella of the tower, in six scenes: # ''Everyday life in mediaeval Diósgyőr'' with ten wax figures. # ''Knights' tournament'' with ten wax figures. # ''Mediaeval fair'' with fourteen wax figures. # ''George Magyar (Georgius Ungarus) in hell:'' According to a legend well known in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

(but generally unknown today and usually told by a tourist guide in the wax museum), George was a knight in the army of

Louis I Louis I may refer to: Cardinals * Louis I, Cardinal of Guise (1527–1578) Counts * Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158) * Louis I of Blois (1172–1205) * Louis I of Flanders (1304–1346) * Louis I of Châtillon (died 13 ...

. During a campaign in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

he massacred innocent civilians, and as a penitence he was sent on a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

to the St Patrick's Purgatory in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, which was believed to be the entrance to

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

. He survived it, and because of this later he was thought to be a holy man. Among the fourteen wax figures we can see him with the priests, the massacred people and the demons of his visions. # ''King Louis grants a coat of arms to Kassa:'' Kassa (today:

Košice Košice is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of approximately 230,000, Košice is the second-largest cit ...

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

) was granted a

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

by Louis the Great in 1369. It was the first time in history that a city got a coat of arms. The ten wax figures portray the king, his queen, the envoy from Košice (Kassa) and several courtiers (See: Coat of arms of Košice). # ''The court of Louis the Great:'' The wax figure of Louis the Great sits enthroned among six courtiers.
Besides the waxworks museum in the rondella, there is a smaller waxworks scene on the 2nd floor of the northeastern tower, commemorating the peace treaty of Turin (1381). (The peace negotiations were held in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, but the king could not travel because of his severe illness – he was already suffering from

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

–, so he signed the documents in this room.) The treaty compelled the city of

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

to pay a yearly tribute of 7000 golden Forints to the king. (At that time the royal treasury had a yearly income of 15.000 Fts.) Venice also had to raise the Angevin flag on St. Mark's Square on holy days. (The peace treaty expired with the death of King Louis one year later.) The eight wax figures portray the king with courtiers and the Venetian envoy. On the first floor of the tower a museum commemorates the Pauline monastery of Diósgyőr. It features the life-size wax figure of a Pauline

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

References

External links

Official site of the castle

"Castle of Queens" - Diósgyőr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waxworks museum of the Castle of Diosgyor Museums in Miskolc Wax museums