Stop 11 · Gossip Walk
Castle site
Castle Museum · Stefánia 2. · Maria Theresa Gate
There was a castle here. Its bricks are now in the houses of the city centre.
Built in the second half of the 13th century, it was the largest brick castle on the Great Plain. The Peace of Szeged was concluded here in 1444, and the negotiations before Matthias Corvinus was elected king were held here too.
After the Ottoman era it lost its military role, and the Habsburgs used it as a prison.
After the great flood of 1879 the townspeople pulled it down with the emperor's permission. The medieval bricks went into the houses of the rebuilt city.
Today the Maria Theresa Gate survives, with the Castle Museum inside. The exhibition covers the castle, the witch trials, the outlaws and the flood, with a stone collection in the courtyard.
Open in the app →Animated scene, old photos, stamps and the full map. Free, nothing to install.Facts and labels
- TrueSecond half of the 13th century: the largest brick castle on the Great Plain.
- TrueDemolished after the flood; the bricks went into the city's houses.
- TrueToday: Maria Theresa Gate, Castle Museum, Stefánia 2.
People say
Legend has it that Rózsa Sándor escaped from Szeged Castle through a secret tunnel. Many people still believe that the brick-vaulted passages found under the city center were secret escape routes.
What we know: According to archaeologists at the Móra Ferenc Múzeum, these were part of Szeged's first sewer system: they emptied into the Tisza but did not run under the river.
Where it was said: Titkos alagutak is voltak a csatornák Szegeden? (Magyar Nemzet)
In 1869 Rózsa Sándor was lured into Szeged Castle by a trick. There are two versions of what the bait was: some say he was promised his old rifle back, others say he was promised an appointment as a rural police officer.
What we know: Local history writings also record that he was captured by a trick and held here; different versions of the trick's details have survived.
Where it was said: Szeged Panoráma: A szegedi vár végnapjai (1850-1883) · Bátyi Zoltán: Szegedi bűnhistória, Csillag a Marson (Szeged folyóirat)