Boldogkő  ultrawide 05
The medieval castle on a cliff rising on the eastern side of the valley of the Hernád River, in the immediate vicinity of Boldogkőváralja. The Miocene andesite tuff Bodókő Hill, on which the castle stands, is part of the Zemplén Landscape Protection Area. Due to the beauty of the landscape and the relatively good condition of the castle, it is a popular hiking destination, which is one of the stops of the National Blue Tour.

The earliest part of the castle (an old tower surrounded by a fortification) was probably built after the Tartar invasion and was erected either by Ispán Tyba, son of Jaak of the tribe of Tomaj, or by Judge Aba Amadé. When Károly Róbert Anjou chased the Aba, the castle came to the Drugeth family, which was loyal to him, and later to Péter Czudar. In the 15th century, it became the property of Serbian princes István and György, and then of the Szapolyai family. In Turkish times, he often changed hands as one of the venues for the intense battles between the emperor and the king. It was acquired by the conquering György Rákóczi in 1666, later it became important several times in the Kuruc times, but even before the Rákóczi War of Independence, in 1701, it was made uninhabitable by the emperors. The ruin was taken possession of by the Jesuits in the 18th century, who used it as a grain warehouse. Later it became the property of the Péchy and then the Zichy family, who, however, no longer lived in the uncomfortable fortress, instead using a baroque castle built in the area of ​​the serf village. Despite the bombing of imperial soldiers and the devastating centuries that followed, it is one of our best-preserved medieval castles.
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