It is the town's best-known monument: a fortress built against the Szeklers, not to defend them.
About the place
Work first began in 1490–1492, when Voivode István Báthory tried to turn a friary into a fortress. After the Szekler uprising of 1562, Prince John Sigismund rebuilt it to keep the Szeklers in check and gave it the mocking name Székely Támadt, roughly 'the Szekler attacked'. Its bastions were called Fóris, Hajdú, Telegdy and Bánffy.
In 1599 the Szeklers, allied with Michael the Brave, pulled the fortress down. It was rebuilt, then destroyed again in 1706 during Rákóczi's war; since then locals have called it Csonkavár, the 'truncated castle'. The town bought the ruins in 1852, and in 1891 a school building went up inside the walls. Traces of a Roman fort were also found here.
Good to know
- You can see the walls and bastions from the street at any time.
- An EU-funded restoration project for the fortress was signed in 2019, so some areas may be closed for works.
- Next door, at Strada Tompa László 10, is the house where the poet László Tompa lived, now a memorial room of the Haáz Rezső Museum.
Opening hours
Opening hours are not confirmed. Check the venue's website before you go.