Diosgyor

#115 Diósgyõr Castle
Miskolc, Hungary
1271, 1364 and mid-16th century
This is NOT an official Lego site

The first castle erected on this hilltop was presumably a motte and bailey castle built in the 12th century by the Bors family. The Mongol invasion of 1241-2 resulted in complete destruction of the castle, as well as the nearby monastery and village. Following the withdrawl of the Mongols, Hungarian King Bela IV decreed that every hilltop should have a castle, and the prominent Ban Ernye of the Akos Clan built the first stone castle on the site as a private residence. It was oval in shape with a round donjon and a polygonal outer wall. In 1319 the Eryne family gave the castle to Dozsa Debreczeni, the Prince of Transilvania, who passed it on to the Hungarian crown in 1340. In 1364 Ludwig of the House of Anjou (Louis the Great) became King of Hungary and the status of Diósgyõr rose dramatically. The town of Miskolc became part of the estate and the castle itself was enlarged and modified to its present size and shape. Ludwig I became King of Poland in addition to Hungary, and the Treaty of Turin compelling Venice to fly the Anjou flag was signed at Diósgyõr in 1381.

Diósgyõr was now a mighty rectangular castle with a large square tower at each corner. A 13 foot deep [4 meter] moat surrounded the entire outer wall, which had a powerful gatehouse set in 4 sides. Upon the death of Ludwig in 1382, the Kingdom of Hungary and Poland was split between the King's daughters Mary and Jadwiga respectively, and the castle lost some of its status. Between 1424 and 1526 the castle was the seat of six queens of Hungary, the last Maria Habsburg, wife of Ludwig II. When the Ottoman Turks conquered southern Hungary, Diósgyõr was further fortified with the cannon rondell and other military features added in 1564. It was to no avail - in 1596 the Turks defeated the Christian army at Mezõkeresztes and Diósgyõr fell into the hands of the invaders until 1687 when the Turkish rule ended. The castle gradually fell into ruin until partial restoration was begun in 1953. The castle houses a large museum, hosts numerous festivals and in general is a popular symbol of Hungary's long and colorful history.

Construction Photos of the Lego Model Built March - May, 2007 (9 weeks) I was not planning to count the bricks in Diósgyõr, but it took such a huge amount of light gray Lego that I needed to purchase some gray bricks for the first time in several years. While the castle needed 21,000 light gray bricks and another 3,800 light gray plates (setting a record), the entire castle was built with just (????) 34,352 pieces of Lego (royal family, minions and soldiers and their weapons excluded). Vajdahunyad is still my biggest castle! Romania #1, Hungary #2. But GO Eastern European Castles!!

Construction progress March 8.	Construction progress March 25.	The hilltop begins to take shape and the courtyard is ready on April 2	And on April 6 the hilltop construction is complete!

Photos of the Lego Model Built March - May, 2007

The NNW view of the castle with the D-shaped tower guarding the main entrance (see below).	I left the late sixteenth century cannon bastions off this mid-16th century model!	The back of the castle reinforces its symmetry and four very similar outer gates. Was this bad planning?	A closeup of the chapel, garderobes and many defences.

A typical view of an outer gatehouse - spiral stair at one end only.	The D-shaped tower and nearby curtain wall form a small middle bailey.	The north portion of the inner courtyard, entrance passage on the left.	Finally finished on May 11, 2007, here is the courtyard with the great hall at the end and storerooms below.


Drawing of the castle about 1370	Drawing of the castle about 1560 before the cannon rondell and other additions	Castle Plan about 1370	Castle plan with moat and 16th century additions


South Elevation	East Elevation	North Elevation