Gyula Castle

Gyula castle was built of brick in the fifteenth century on flat, wet ground where there was no stone and no hill to use, and it survived where most Hungarian inland castles did not, so it stands today as a compact rectangular block with a tall tower, vaulted rooms, a chapel and a courtyard, usually described as the only medieval brick castle in central Europe to have come through essentially intact. It held out against the Ottomans in 1566 for two months before surrendering and then spent over a century in Ottoman hands. The interior now holds a museum route through the vaults and the tower, and summer theatre is staged in the courtyard. A large thermal bath complex sits in the park beside it.

What you actually see

• A brick castle standing intact - unusual survival on the open plain.
• Vaulted rooms and the tower route - the museum through the interior.
• Courtyard theatre in summer - the castle used as a stage.
• The thermal baths beside it - the spa park next to the walls.

When to go

April to October; the summer theatre season fills the courtyard in July and August. Two to three hours. The baths need a separate half day and their own ticket.

Honest expectations

The castle is small and the museum route is quickly walked. Theatre season closes the courtyard to visitors on performance days. Gyula is far from other destinations and a long trip from Budapest.

Nearby

Szabadkigyos palace is west; the Romanian border lies east.