History Comes to Life in Fiľakovo Castle

History comes to life in the Castle of Fiľakovo (a town in the Banská Bystrica Region of south-central Slovakia,  historically called Fülek and located in Nógrád County, Hungary), where the 23rd Castle Games will be held on Saturday. Visitors will be able to learn about everyday life, culture, and the traditions of the medieval period, when the castle played an important military and strategic role, the main organizer, the Castle Museum in Fiľakovo, told MTI on Tuesday.

According to the Castle Museum, the program will start on Saturday afternoon with a children’s stilt theater performance entitled “The tallest craftsmen.”

In the historical camp set up for the castle games, the performing groups will offer an insight into life in military camps, demonstrating the fighting techniques and weapons used between the 13th and 17th centuries, as well as the everyday life of our ancestors and the course of the witch trials of the period.

This year’s event will feature dance and costume shows from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. At the Old Hungarian Dog Breeds Show, visitors will be able to learn how our ancestors used the breeds for hunting, self-defense, herding, and military purposes in the Middle Ages.

There will also be a demonstration on falconry, and in the workshops visitors can try their hand at fire-cutting, casting lead balls into firearms, and cutting with a saber. The program ends with a baroque music concert in the courtyard.

During the day, all the castle’s exhibitions will be open to the public, including The Centuries of Fiľakovo Castle, Crafts in Fiľakovo in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age, and the World War II air-raid bunker on Castle Hill.

The program is supported by the Minority Cultural Fund and the Banská Bystrica County Municipality.

The castle, which was already a wooden fortress in the 12th century, has changed hands several times over the centuries: Hungarian oligarch Matthew Csák III, owned it for a short period between 1311-1321. Later, in 1438, it was owned by Elizabeth of Luxembourg, who had it fortified for defense purposes. In 1483, the army of King Matthias captured the castle. In 1551, it was rebuilt as a strong military fortress by its later lord, Ferenc Bebek. In the 17th century, in the heyday of Fiľakovo, István Koháry II became the castle captain, and although he had the castle fortified, it could not be defended from the Turks, who blew up the fortress in 1682. The historical role of the castle came to an end. Archaeological excavations began in 1941.

The Castle Museum in Fiľakovo was established in 2007, when the Bebek Tower of the castle was restored as a historical monument.

Featured image: Facebook/Hungarian History 1366-1699