Hollókő Summary
Hollókő
Summary
Summary
The name of the village of Hollókő lying in the geographically versatile region of the Cserhát range of hills became known for its uniform settlement structure, rich folk-costume and fold-habits, as well as its medieval castle standing at a couple of hundreds of meters from it on a cliff.
According to settlement name documents, archaeological research, and the descriptions by Anonym, the county of Nógrád was populated by Slavic people before the Hungarian Settlement. The settling Hungarians came to live around these people at the end of the IX, and during the X century. Szécsény, and Székelcs or by a different name Hollókó stream suggest a border guarding Székely ethnic group on the basis of linguistic research.
The ancient owners of the county were the Kacsics dynasty, whose estates lay in Szécsény and the surrounding area. This dynasty broke up to several branches at the beginning of the XIII century. After the Mongolian invasion, at the end of the century, the construction of most of the fortresses in the county can be associated with them. Mikus, coming from the Illés branch, was the first known owner of the castle on the basis of a donation letter dated in 1313.
Mikus and his siblings joined Máté Csák, and the rebellious lords of the county in 1310. King Charles Robert defeated them in the Rozgony battle in 1312. He deprived Máté Csák’s followers deprived of their estates, and gave donations to those who fought for him faithfully. Mihály Almágyi Balog, royal commander managed the castle between 1313 and 1327, and Tamás Széchényi, coming from the Falkos line of the Kacsics dynasty, who was the faithful subject of Charles Robert was invested with the management of the castle of Hollókő and its attachments in 1327. The preserved survey about this event is an important historic document.
Tamás Szécsényi gathered a huge fortune, and had several posts. He laid the foundation for the richness and the reputation of the family.
The significant heretic movement of the Hussites in the XV century also effected Nógrád county. It came down in a charter that the lords of the region signed an armistice agreement with János Giskra, the leader of the Hussites in the castle of Hollókő.
László Szécsényi was the last male member of the family, and died in 1460. His fortune was inherited by his son-in-law, Albert Losonczy, and Mihály Guthi Ország.
The castle of Hollókő was owned by the most important family of the county between 1327 and 1552. Its real value was the estate belonging to it. Its modern fortification took place in the XVI century.
After taking Buda, Nógrád, Szanda and Vác, the Turks also occupied Drégely, Szécsény, Gyarmat and Hollókő in 1552.
During the 15 year war (1541-1606), it was once again owned by the Hungarians together with several other castles, but in 1663, it got to the Turks again. It was finally liberated from the occupants by John Sobieski, Polish king in 1683.
The order of Emperor Leopold I, issued in 1701 stipulated the demolishment of Hungarian border castles, and thus, in 1711, demolition activities took place in Hollókő as well.
The OMF, the predecessor of today’s OMvH carried out archaeological excavations in the castle between 1966 and 1969. It became possible to reconstruct the construction history of the castle and the everyday life in it with the help of the findings of the research, historic materials, old drawings, descriptions and charters.
The shape of the fortress built on the outstanding cliff was influenced by the nature of the ground, which provided it with a reinforced protection. The stones for the construction work were mined on the spot, and neatly finished lime-stone carvings were used for the most important architectural details. Tie-beams made of hard wood were used to reinforce the walls. The oldest core of the castle constituted the old tower on the Eastern side, which needed most of the protection, with the palace in the North built in an “L” shape, the cistern, and the walls decorated with friezes. This castle was erected by the Illés line of the “Kacsis” family between 1270 and 1290, of which we definitely know that it belonged to Mikus in the XIV century.
During the ownership of the Szécsényi family, the large-scale reconstruction in the palace are illustrated by the Gothic details. The knights’ hall was built on the third floor of the palace, and the remains of the Gothic fireplace and ceiling show that the reconstruction was of a high quality.
The room next to the knight’s hall might have been the chapel in the old times, which is referred to by Evlia Cselebi, Turkish historian in his writing. The construction must have taken place in the time of master Frank Széchényi (1369–1409), who was given the title of the master of “Hollókő” in one of the charters.
The outer castle was built during the XIV-XV centuries. A cistern was created on the lower court. Entry into the inner castle was made difficult by wall confinements, gates built in a line, and pitfalls next to them, which were the typical protection means of the age. The gate-tower was built in the first half of the XV century for the protection of the entrance, where the outer court could be accessed via a drawbridge and a ramp created from wooden beams.
While the Losonczy and the Guthi Ország families were the owners, the pentagonal tower and the palace were reconstructed in a Renaissance style. Small roofed workshops were created in the pass around the inner castle. Outbuildings were erected in the court of the outer castle.
The village was first mentioned in writing in 1343 in a report about a priest called George of the Váralja parish. Archaeological research explored the remains of a medieval church in the South-West direction from the castle, on the Pusztaverem hill close to the Arpadian settlement on the field called Elöty in the valley of a stream.
The village was re-populated after the Turkish times. Three Hungarian households were registered in Hollókő in 1715, and it was mentioned as a nobleman’s village in 1720. It was part of the Szécsény domain, and its owners were the Forgács, the Haller and the Kamocsay families.
The people living in the village were Palots, who belonged to the Eastern part of the Hungarians living on the Northern highland. Their belonging together appears in their lifestyle, settlement structure, architecture, folk customs, and nourishment.
A survey from 1782 showed a lined settlement with one street with a vineyard surrounded by forests. The breaking up of the land fragmented the fields around the village into small, narrow patches of land in 1860, which is demonstrated by the image of the settlement even today. The field area belonging to Hollókő is 1200 holds, half of which is an arid land, a quarter of it is forests, and the rest is pasture, and partly unfertile land. In addition to this, vineyards on 50 holds also belonged to it. It had few gardens and meadows. The village was far from busy roads and industrial establishments. Therefore, its inhabitants had to work as seasonal contract labourers, and day-labourers on the estates. They also traded with animals, and the women sold linens prepared by themselves on the market.
The village burnt down in 1909, and its houses were re-built. The image of the village today still carries the print of this building. Its houses were built at right angles to the road, and its group plots preserved the traces of the ancient settlement of large families. Those who belonged to one kinship, or one family settled in one household, on one undivided plot. The houses usually consist of three parts (“first house” – porch – living chamber), and are equipped with a cellar going out to the street. They are lined with a porch with wooden columns – hambitus – on the fronts of the street and the garden. On the belt-like plots, the pantry and the stable were attached to the house, and a pigsty – hidas - and sheds were created on the yard. Barns used to stand on the verge of the village in earlier times.
The Roman Catholic church of the village stood on the so called “island”. It was built in 1889, with only a belfry in front of it, which was commemorated by Flóris Rómer in 1862.
The 1960-ies brought about change in the life of Hollókő. The idea emerged that the valuable village centre had to be preserved in its original form for the future. The Nógrád county Council, the Regional Council of Szécsény, and the Village Council of Hollókő supported this idea. A comprehensive monument study plan was drawn up for its protection between 1961 and 1968, which covered 58 family houses and the church under the leadership of Ferenc Mendele. The family houses preserved their nature, and received different functions.
The Lord Mayor’s Office, the post, the medical consulting facility, the kindergarten, an elderly home, two restaurant and five tourist lodgings operate now in the renovated houses. The “Weaver’s House”, the “Potter’s House” and the “Potter’s Workshop” now are there to nourish, and teach the old crafts. The “Village Museum”, the “Post Museum” and the “Landscape Conservation Exhibition”, as well as the exhibitions of Irén Ács, photographer, and Ferenc Kelemen, wood-carver are also hosted by the old buildings.
The reconstruction of the castle was completed in 1996. There is an exhibition in the two farm buildings on the outer castle court to display the history of the fortress, the related research, and the works of renovation. We can get a flavour of the rich archaeological material at the Kubinyi Ferenc Museum in Szécsény.
It was through the support of the leaders and inhabitants of the village that Hollókő became a monument village. In 1987 it was entered on the World Heritage list of the UNESCO. Since 1977, its inner area, closed gardens, pasture and parts of the castle hill have become part of the Landscape Conservation Area. The Public Foundation for Holló ensures that the village may preserve, nourish and further develop its values.
