Palanok Castle
The Palanok Castle or Mukachevo Castle (; or ; ) is a historic castle in the city of Mukacheve in the western Ukrainian oblast (province) of Zakarpattia. The Palanok Castle is delicately preserved, and is located on a former volcanic hill. The castle complex consists of three parts: the high, middle, and low castle. History From its foundation until 1541 There is no accurate data on the circumstances of the construction of the castle. Archaeological research shows that the area was already inhabited in the Neolithic era, and that in the Bronze and Iron Ages there was a fortress on the site of today's castle. At the time of the conquest, a fortress built from piles stood at the top of today's castle hill. St. Stephen attributed special importance to the castle, strengthened his walls, and King Ladislaus continued his work and built a stone wall. Anonymus, Béla III of Hungary's clerk, author of the Gesta Hungarorum (The Deeds of the Hungarians) mentions that when the seven leaders and their tribes were crossing the Verecke Pass and the mountains below it, they became very tired and determined to rest at this place. As the countryside was at great cost (work), the settlement was called Munkács. According to another legend, the name of the castle and the city stems from the Slavic word for "suffering", because the construction of the castle and the application of the stones to it required much work and suffering. In 1086 Munkács was attacked by the Pechenegs; they besieged the castle for five days, but were unable to capture it. The rapid development of the city concluded during the reign of Béla III of Hungary. In 1190, for example, the Tatars scattered the villages of the county of Bereg and Ung. In 1241, the 60,000 strong army of Batu Khan entered Hungary through the Verecke Pass. The city was demolished, but the castle was not occupied. After the retreat of the Tatars, in 1242 Béla IV of Hungary gave instructions to build new castles, to reinforce existing ones. During the 13th century, Munkács Castle became one of the largest and best protected fortresses in Hungary. Charles Robert appreciated his significance to the ever-stronger Poland and Russia, and therefore he took possession of Italian masters to reconstruct and strengthen. Louis I of Hungary (1342-1382) continued his construction. In 1352 another Tatar army arrived under the castle, but his garrison not only resisted his attack, but broke out from behind the walls, wrecking the enemy, captivating and executing Atlamos Khan. Tódor Korjatovics, Prince of Podolsky, played a significant role in the history of the castle, and he was associated with relatives in the royal court of Hungary. One of his sisters was King Sigismund's mother. In 1396, Sigismund donated the castle and the associated domination to him. Together with his courtyard he moved to the Munkács region, and with his activities he greatly promoted the economic and cultural development of Transcarpathia. He set up his court in the