Miskolc - Diósgyor Castle

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by four towers and is protected by an outer ring of fortifications. After King Sigismund had given it to his queen to be used as a summer -residence it became the practice for each successive queen to reside there. In the second half of the 15th C, Queen Beatrix of Aragon, wife of King Matthias, furnished it in luxurious Early Renaissance style. All that remains of these furnishings is the Diósgyor Madonna, probably part of an altar from the castle chapel and the work of the Dalmatian artist Johannes Duknovich de Tragurio, who also carried out work in other royal palaces. In the 16th C there were several changes of ownership, and additional fortifications were added, such as the round bastion in the northeast and the pentagonal one in the northwest. During the 16th C the castle gradually fell into decay, and in 1678 it was blown up by Habsburg troops. During the 19th C the debris was used as building rubble. Since 1968 the outer foundations have again been uncovered and parts of the inner fortifications reconstructed.

As a result it is now possible to see the size of the great Knights' Hall in the north wing and the castle chapel in the east wing. Three of the four corner towers have been reconstructed, and in the southwest tower (where there is a viewing platform) the Late Gothic vaulting of the corner room has been rebuilt. Some of the stone-masonry and other castle finds are on display in the castle museum in the northeast bastion.

Open-air events are held in the castle courtyard during the summer months.