The 383rd fortification on my site is Óvár (Várna / Varin). The medieval documentary mention of the castle of Óvár was “Várna”, in our days it is located in Slovakia, on the right bank of the Vág River. It was built in the second half of the 13th century in the Kingdom of Hungary on the 475-meter-high peak of a rocky ridge. Location: https://tinyurl.com/2jn6thje
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The lords of the castle, the Balassa clan, had several fortifications built to protect their estates in the area.
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The first documented mention of the area was in 1224 when King Endre II donated the estate near the Vág River to his favorite follower, the stable master Mihály of the Bana clan. After 1235, King Béla IV, who succeeded to the throne, took the land back from Mihály.
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In 1321, after the death of the oligarch Csák Máté, the province, which had encompassed vast territories, fell apart, and after the bloody siege of Trencsén and its surrender by agreement, the pro-Csák armies of the other fortresses opened the gates to the troops of King Károly Róbert without drawing swords.
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Hunyadi János, the Transylvanian Voivode, acquired Óvár from Szentmiklósi Pongrác in 1454 in exchange for another estate. Szilágyi Erzsébet, the widow of Hunyadi János, hoping that the powerful lord would help her in the internal war, returned the castle of Óvár to Baron Szentmiklósi Pongrác.
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The medieval fortress of Óvár castle has been destroyed by explosions, its walls have collapsed to the ground in some areas, while in others you can see the traces of supporting beams. Unlike the fortress of Sztrecsnó on the other side, this fortress has not yet been archaeologically excavated and its walls are in ruins.
️️In my article, you can read more about the history of Óvár:
https://www.hungarianottomanwars.com/ovar-varna-varin/
Photo: Maycoo Photo
