Esztergom: the Castle
“King (of the Magyars) Béla IV, brother of St Elizabeth, was the ablest of them. He lived in turbulent times. In recent decades, Jenghiz Khan and his descendants had laid Asia waste from the China Sea to the Ukraine and in the spring of 1241 news of great danger reached Hungary: after burning Kiev, Jenghiz Khan’s grandson, Batu, was heading for the eastern passes. Béla tried to prepare defences but the Mongols’ onslaught through the Carpathians was so fast that they surprised and routed the sleepy Magyar nobles and then ranged over the Great Plain, emptying and burning the towns all through the summer. Promising the peasants their lives if they brought in the harvest, they slaughtered them in the autumn when it was safely threshed; then, crossing the frozen river on Christmas Day, they set about the western regions. A few towns were saved by their walls or by the surrounding fens, but Esztergom was burnt and most of the others were soon in cinders and the inhabitants slain or driven off as slaves.”
The day after my visit to the Basilica, I climbed up the mound again to investigate the castle, which is slowly being restored and diligently developed as an education centre. Each day I was there, gangs of schoolchildren, 15 and 16 year olds, invaded the centre, which rather detracted from the castle’s atmospherics. Some anxious volunteers tried valiantly to guide me without any English, but still successfully! I believe that the castle was overgrown when Paddy visited Esztergom, although I’m willing to bet that he clambered over the ruins. It played a significant role as the royal residence and it’s importance is well described in Wikipedi
What theses windows must have looked down upon – the brightly coloured tents of the Tatars and the Turks!
But it was the Turks who seized the castle and ruled the town
The Ottoman Turks ruled over Esztergom and parts of Hungary from 1541 until 1699., whilst the threat from the Tatars/Mongols had dissipated in the the latter half of the 13th century with the death of their leader away in the steppes – makes you realise how lucky it is to live far away- on islands!
But without explanation, I came across this picture, and wondered If these windows had been favoured by the Turkish inhabitants.
Esztergom never regained its importance to the Hungarian kings, but it still held on to its position as the seat of the Catholic Church.
The simplicity of the chapel in the Castle in comparison with the cathedral was very attractive.
And where does this little bust fit in – there was no explanation!
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