MEDIEVAL BRICK CASTLE
D
espite its location and materials it was built from, Gyula had one of the strongest border castle with Eger and Szigetvár in the 16th century.
The lordship over this land was gifted to John Maróti by King Sigismund in 1403. After the dying out of the Maróti bloodline, the ownership fell to King Matthias Hunyadi, who donated it to his son, John Corvin.
The castle was occupied by the ottomans in 1566 (the year when Szigetvár fell). It was held by 2000 Hungarian defenders against the colossal amount of 30000 ottoman soldiers for over 63 days. In the end, the castle was not even captured, it had to be conceded by captain László Kerecsényi, due to the lack of supplies and the outbreak of the dysentery epidemic among the occupants.
After 129 years of ottoman reign, the land was given to the Harruckern family, who used the castle for economical purposes: they made it into a brandy -, beer brewery, and a servant home. After the unsuccessful kuruc siege in 1705, the castle lost its military significance. It became part of history again in 1849, when the prisoners General János Damjanich and General György Lahner, former military officers during the 1848-1849 Hungarian Revolution, were housed here.
T
he castle's archaeological excavation and reconstruction began in the 1950s, the museum and theatre opened in 1962 and 1964 respectively. It has been in its today's state since 2005, awaiting visitors with 24 exhibition halls.
The castle is not just an exhibition space, it's a place full of life, where due to bigger events, the furnace is stoked multiple times, delicious breads are baking, the smith's fire lits up, the pottery wheel spins...
The castle chapel and the knights' hall is a frequent place for weddings and receptions. At the place of the former wine bar, a temporary exhibition space was made, hosting chamber concerts. All of these are made more interesting with the historically-accurate, costumed guided tours at specific days in the week. The Gyula Castle and the military memorial next to it were added into Hungary's historical memorial sites in 2012.
