Khust Castle
| Khust Castle | |
|---|---|
| Khust, Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukraine | |
View of the ruins | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Castle |
| Condition | Ruins |
| Location | |
Khust Castle Map of Zakarpattia Oblast with Khust. Khust Castle Khust Castle (Ukraine) | |
| Coordinates | 48°10′05″N 23°18′05″E / 48.16806°N 23.30139°E |
| Site history | |
| Built | 11th–12th centuries (hypothesis) 1353 (first written mention) |
The Khust Castle (Ukrainian: Хустський замок, romanized: Khusts'kyj zamok; Hungarian: Huszti vár) is an abandoned castle located in the city of Khust in Zakarpattia Oblast (province) in western Ukraine.
The former Hungarian castle lies on a 150-meter high mountain near the center of the city. It is widely believed that the construction of the castle had started around 1090, during the reign of the Hungarian King St. Ladislaus I, and had finished in 1191, under Béla III. However, the first written mention of the castle dates back to 1353, and a 2019 archaeological expedition dated the oldest findings to late 15th century.
The castle was built as a fortress to protect the salt road from Solotvyno, including the Khust Gate, and the border areas.
A Turkish traveler Evliya Çelebi mentions the castle: "The Khust castle is located at the top of Mount Hassan. Its walls are high and thick, and with its power it is similar to the Iskander fortress, because its height already reaches the sky. Residential buildings facing east face one above the other. The roofs of the palaces are covered with colored tiles, the roofs of the churches – iron, the crosses on them – of pure gold and so shine that the one who looks at them gets tired eyes and is forced, with respect for them, to lower their gaze."
After the defeat of the Hungarian army in the Battle of Mohács in 1526, The Kingdom of Hungary fell apart and the castle in Khust became a part of the Principality of Transylvania.