Boldogkőváralja

Perched atop an oval-shaped andesite tuff hill above the village of Boldogkőváralja, Boldogkő Castle rises high with its irregular floor plan and inner tower, stretching north to south. The history of Boldogkő Castle is quite complex and difficult to trace even based on surviving documents. The exact time of its construction is unknown, but it is certain that it was built after the Mongol invasion. As a fortress, it protected the road to Košice (Kassa) and the Hernád Valley.

Our castle first appears in documents in 1282 under the name Castrum Boldua in a charter issued by King Andrew III. Over time, it was referred to as Bolduakev, Bodókheő, Bodókő Castle, and finally Boldogkő Castle. Folklore attributes its name to a master cooper named Bodó, who allegedly saved King Béla IV from pursuing Tatars.

Boldogkő Castle was built with the permission of King Béla IV by Count Tyba, son of Jaak from the Tomaj clan, or one of his family members. King Ladislaus IV acquired it through an exchange in 1282. Its castellan from 1300 was named János, who handled matters concerning the serfs of Palatine Amadé. After the extinction of the Árpád dynasty, it became the property of the Amadé family, who sided with Máté Csák. However, King Charles Robert defeated them in the Battle of Rozgony in 1312 and confiscated their estates, including Boldogkő Castle, which he granted to the pro-Anjou Drugeth family while retaining a royal castellan. Presumably, it was this lavish-loving Drugeth family that completed the remaining parts of the upper castle (the palace wing connected to the old tower and the block-shaped defensive tower) during this period.

In 1388, King Sigismund mortgaged the castle to Péter Czudar, then in 1396 to his widow and son. From 1427 to 1453, Boldogkő, along with its estate, came into the possession of Serbian Despot Đurađ Branković, along with the settlements of Tállya and Tokaj and the castles of Regéc and Munkács. In 1456, King Matthias reclaimed it as royal property and granted it to the Parlagi brothers, Pál and László, in 1461. Later, in 1476, he mortgaged it to the town of Košice for 3,000 and then an additional 1,500 florins. At Matthias’s request, Košice transferred the castle and its estate to Imre Szapolyai, but by 1471, it was back in royal hands. It later became the property of the Szapolyai family. Before the Battle of Mohács, János Szapolyai gifted the castle to György, the son of István Tomori, as a baptismal gift.

In the 15th century, the castle was expanded in two phases. On the southern side, an irregular quadrilateral tower was erected, connected by a palisade. Later, a horseshoe-shaped gate tower with a connecting defensive wall was built, along with an outer wall surrounding the palace on the eastern side. After Mohács, during the dual monarchy, the castle frequently changed hands, sometimes under Ferdinand and other times under John. In 1527, the pro-Ferdinand István Báthori captured the castle, but soon after, János Szapolyai besieged and took it in 1528 along with Regéc Castle. Ferdinand retook it that same year, but by 1530, it was back under King John’s control. In August of that year, the forces of Gáspár Serédi, united with Ferenc Bebek’s army, defeated Szapolyai’s troops and besieged Boldogkő Castle but withdrew unsuccessfully after six weeks.

According to documents, in 1530, the castle was owned by Egyed Tomori, from whom Cardinal György Martinuzzi purchased it that same year. However, he did not hold it for long, as in 1537, imperial forces seized it again. In 1542, Ferdinand granted or exchanged it for Gyula Castle with Ferenc Patóchy. Patóchy’s daughter, Zsófia, married the infamous György Bebek, thus transferring the castle to the Bebek family. The Bebeks were among the most famous—or rather, infamous—families of the time, originally amassing wealth through mining. While they were brave soldiers, they shied away from no deceit or crime. It is suspected that they even engaged in counterfeiting at Boldogkő Castle.

In 1560, György Bebek exchanged the castle with Mihály Sárközy for the captured Ottoman commander, Ahmed Pasha. Before 1578, the Sárközy family sold Boldogkő to the Serényi family, a transaction confirmed by Emperor Rudolf II in a 1578 charter.

During this period, one of the prominent figures of the Hungarian Reformation, Mátyás Dévai Bíró, known as the “Hungarian Luther,” served as a chaplain at Boldogkő. The poet Bálint Balassi also had connections to the area, owning vineyards in Mezőzombor. Letters from him dating to 1584 (from Szikszó) and 1585 (from Abaújszántó) survive. It is certain that he stayed at Boldogkő Castle multiple times, including when he wrote his poem Borivóknak való (“To the Wine Drinkers”).

After a few peaceful decades, in 1612, György Horváth Palochay, lord of Nedec Castle (in present-day Poland), purchased the castle from Ferenc Serényi. It briefly belonged to Mátyás Szikszay in 1627 and János Várkonyi in 1630 but soon returned to the Palochay family.

In 1644, it became the property of György Rákóczi I, then in 1671, it returned to the Palochay family, who surrendered it that year to the renowned artist and scholar György Szelepcsényi, Archbishop of Esztergom. During this time, the first detailed inventory of the castle was made, the original of which still exists at the Roman Catholic parish of Boldogkőváralja. Szelepcsényi owned Boldogkő until his death in 1685, during which time it was unsuccessfully besieged multiple times, including by Kuruc rebels in 1674. The castle’s castellan at the time was Péter Vatay, with a dozen men and nine hajdús. Despite the defenders’ resistance, the castle’s military significance had diminished, as shown by its small garrison. In 1676, the Viennese authorities began demolishing Boldogkő, along with Füzér, Szerencs, and Kisvárda, though fortunately, no major damage was done. Imre Thököly, who became the leader of the discontented in 1678, captured Szikszó, Putnok, Szádvár, and Boldogkő, triumphantly marching into Szerencs and gaining Tállya and Tarcal—though this was short-lived, as the uprising collapsed around 1683. For the castle’s history, however, it is crucial that on August 18, 1682, by Thököly’s order, an even more detailed inventory (Inventarium Arcis Donor Boldogh Keö) was made.

After Szelepcsényi’s death in 1685, the Esztergom Chapter acquired Boldogkő Castle, but by 1697, it was held by imperial troops. By order of King Leopold I, between 1701 and 1702, the castle was blown up and rendered uninhabitable. In 1715, the Jesuits of Levoča received it from the Esztergom Chapter, using the still-intact rooms for grain storage. In 1753, royal councilor Gábor Péchy of Péchújfalu purchased it from them. The family did not live in the castle but in a manor house in the village.

Restoration work was carried out on the damaged castle. Collapsed walls were rebuilt, gaps were filled, and entrances and windows were remodeled with brick pointed arches. Unfortunately, this neo-Gothic restoration obscured the original medieval door and window openings in many places.

Through marriage, the castle passed to the Zichy family in 1890 and remained their property until 1945, after which it became state-owned. Archaeological excavations began in 1963 under the leadership of Katalin K. Végh, based on plans by Tibor Koppány. After restoration, a tourist hostel was established in the former palace section, and the picturesque castle became a popular excursion destination.

In the early 1990s, the hostel closed, replaced by a military history exhibition and a lead soldier display (an eight-square-meter diorama of the Battle of Mohi with over a thousand figurines).

The castle is currently managed by the local government. In 2002, major reconstruction and excavation work began, transforming its appearance. Two towers (the gate tower and the southern tower) received protective roofs, and a 100-meter-long parapet walkway was built along the lower courtyard walls, offering splendid views through loopholes to the west and north. A rock climbing path was constructed on the “Lion Rock.” Additionally, a less visible but significant alteration was made: an underground connection (with a 20-meter elevation difference) between the castle cellar and the wine tavern, allowing tired visitors to head straight to the cool tavern after sightseeing. Thus, Boldogkő Castle now welcomes tourists in a fully renewed form.