Szigliget Castle, Szigliget, Hungary

Szigliget castle was built by Favus Abbot of Pannonhalma, it was completed in 1262. A small village with a church had been developed under the castle belonging to it as usual in the life of a border fortress. The Castle passed into royal proprietorship and then from 1521 for centuries it became the property of Tóti-Lengyel family. Upon the order of Emperor Lipót issued in 1702 the Castle was blow up.To protect its substance as well as to explore, a fund was started in 1991.

References:

gotohungary.com

User Reviews

piroska bakonyi (2 years ago)
Amazing and breath-taking views from many points of the castle. There is a reconstruction in progress but I think is not age-appropriate - did not like the tiles over the little houses. Balaton is amazing during autumn period as well :)

Zoltan Batho G. (2 years ago)
One of the nicest towns in around Balaton. A truly magnificent ruin castle, fabulous restaurants, unique atmosphere.

Rafał Jędruchów (2 years ago)
Beaufitly restored place, amazing views. No problems with finding a parking place near by, great selection of local wines near entrance.

Anton Bendarzsevszkij (2 years ago)
We've been there 10 years ago, and the view was beautiful, but the castle was just a ruin. Now lots have been done, it is renovated very nicely, and absolutely a must to visit when you are at Balaton

Im Kazuya (2 years ago)
Nice place but public transport is not the best and of course you have to climb a steep mountain. But the view is amazing.

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Broch of Gurness

The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village. Settlement here began sometime between 500 and 200 BC. At the centre of the settlement is a stone tower or broch, which once probably reached a height of around 10 metres. Its interior is divided into sections by upright slabs. The tower features two skins of drystone walls, with stone-floored galleries in between. These are accessed by steps. Stone ledges suggest that there was once an upper storey with a timber floor. The roof would have been thatched, surrounded by a wall walk linked by stairs to the ground floor. The broch features two hearths and a subterranean stone cistern with steps leading down into it. It is thought to have some religious significance, relating to an Iron Age cult of the underground.

The remains of the central tower are up to 3.6 metres high, and the stone walls are up to 4.1 metres thick. The tower was likely inhabited by the principal family or clan of the area but also served as a last resort for the village in case of an attack.

The broch continued to be inhabited while it began to collapse and the original structures were altered. The cistern was filled in and the interior was repartitioned. The ruin visible today reflects this secondary phase of the broch's use.

The site is surrounded by three ditches cut out of the rock with stone ramparts, encircling an area of around 45 metres diameter. The remains of numerous small stone dwellings with small yards and sheds can be found between the inner ditch and the tower. These were built after the tower, but were a part of the settlement's initial conception. A 'main street' connects the outer entrance to the broch. The settlement is the best-preserved of all broch villages.

Pieces of a Roman amphora dating to before 60 AD were found here, lending weight to the record that a 'King of Orkney' submitted to Emperor Claudius at Colchester in 43 AD.

At some point after 100 AD the broch was abandoned and the ditches filled in. It is thought that settlement at the broch continued into the 5th century AD, the period known as Pictish times. By that time the broch was not used anymore and some of its stones were reused to build smaller dwellings on top of the earlier buildings. Until about the 8th century, the site was just a single farmstead.

In the 9th century, a Norse woman was buried at the site in a stone-lined grave with two bronze brooches and a sickle and knife made from iron. Other finds suggest that Norse men were buried here too.

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