Castle of Eger

The Castle of Eger in Hungary has an interesting history. The most famous incident relates to the repelling of the Turkish attack in 1552 during the Siege of Eger.

History of the castle

The first castle was built on the high hill named Várhegy at Felsőtárkány near Eger.During the Mongol invasion in 1241, this castle was ruined, and the bishop of Eger moved 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 80,000 soldiers attacked the castle which had 1935 defenders. The siege failed as the defenders killed more than 8000 Turks ( 1700 of the defenders had survived. In 1701, the Austrians exploded half of the castle (the "Külső vár"). Between 1899-1901, Géza Gárdonyi published his novel Eclipse of the Crescent Moon.The archaeological excavation only started in 1925. The castle was used by the army as barracks until 1957.

The castle now

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,
* "A világ fegyverei" - A weapon exhibition,
* "Panoptikum" - A wax museum,and several periodic exhibitions.