Fuzer Castle

Fuzer sits on a bare volcanic cone at 552 metres in the northern Zemplen, a conical hill that rises alone out of forest, and the castle wraps the summit so tightly that the walls read as an extension of the rock. It was built in the thirteenth century, and its moment came after the defeat at Mohacs in 1526, when the Hungarian Holy Crown was brought here and kept for a period in the castle chapel for safety. The Gothic chapel has been reconstructed, along with a residential wing, and the rest is consolidated ruin with a walkway around the summit. The climb from the village is short and steep, and the view runs into Slovakia over unbroken woodland.

What you actually see

• A castle wrapping a volcanic cone - walls following the summit rock.
• The reconstructed Gothic chapel - where the Holy Crown was kept in 1526.
• Forest views into Slovakia - unbroken woodland from the walkway.
• The cone seen from the village - the hill standing alone below.

When to go

April to October. Two hours with the climb, which takes about twenty minutes and is steep throughout. Clear weather matters for the view.

Honest expectations

The climb is short but properly steep and not suitable for everyone. The castle is small and reconstruction is recent and evident. The village is remote with almost no services. Winter access is often closed.

Nearby

Sarospatak is south; the Slovak border lies immediately north.