The National Museum is excavating in the Regecs Castle

The excavation carried out within the framework of the "Phase II Reconstruction of the Regéc Castle in the framework of the Interreg VA Slovakia-Hungary Cooperation Program" is one of the most important research areas of MNM archaeologists. The excavation is carried out by the MNM Archaeological Museum, with the help of the logistics of the museum's Archaeological Heritage Directorate (RÖG).

While the tourist attraction can be visited continuously under strict rules, walls will be erected from the stones excavated during the excavations, and the large-scale cellar that collapsed under the castle palace is deepening, the National Museum told MTI on Wednesday.

Regecs Castle is located in the southeastern part of the historic Abaúj county, in the Zemplén Mountains. At present, the outskirts of Mogyoróska are administratively owned by the state, but the castle is operated by the municipality of Regéc.

The old castle is located in the 13-14. at the turn of the century it may have been built on a hill, roughly north-south, evoking the shape of a horn; Until Matthias' reign, it was mostly in royal hands. By the 15th century, the building complex already covered the entire plateau of Castle Hill, including the upper, middle and lower castles. A 16-17. In the 16th century, palace buildings decorated with Renaissance stone carvings were erected on the site of the central castle.

During the Ottoman conquest, the fortress provided a safe residence for many aristocratic families, and finally became the property of the Rákóczi family in the middle of the 17th century. Regéc's brightest period was under the two great-grandmothers of the Rákóczi family, Zsófia Báthory and Ilona Zrínyi. After the collapse of the principality of Thököly, the castle was set on fire in 1686 by the Imperial General of Caprara, according to the decision of the Habsburg War Council, and made it defenseless.

As the communication recalls, the excavation and preservation of the castle has been going on for more than twenty years; recovery on a larger scale has been ongoing since 2015. In the first major reconstruction phase, the complete reconstruction and conservation of the buildings of the Upper Castle was completed, as well as a reception building was established in front of the castle and a visitor center within the settlement of Regéc. Work is currently underway in the second phase of recovery. In doing so, the eastern part of the central castle is restored and a 16th-century, two-storey Renaissance palace is rebuilt.

The reconstruction of the Renaissance palace of the Regecs Castle and the protection of the adjoining parts of the building will be realized from more than 423 million forints. The restoration will affect nearly 1,000 square feet of the building, of which 384 square feet will be below floor level.

Archaeological excavations of the area are often only possible with mechanical assistance, but the excavations can shed light on the history and architectural details of the buildings standing there, and the finds also provide information on the earlier history of the castle and the lifestyle of its former inhabitants.

Archaeological excavations are taking place in the southern part of the eastern palace building. Upstairs there was a reception room with an ornate balcony, a painted vault, expensive stoves, a double shade chair, and on the ground floor there were spaces with ovens for baking baked goods. Vinegar barrels, which were also used for preservation, were kept in the cellar. In addition to the demolition of this large cellar, this year's excavation season will examine the substructure of the patriarch's house, the filling of the eastern gorge, and later the remains of the castle courtyard belonging to earlier construction periods, experts say.

(Source: marmalade.co.hu; MTI | Image: pixabay.com)