Fortress Museum

The fortress in Szeged was built in the second half of the 13th century, probably with the extension of the already existing fortress. The largest brick fortress on the Great Plain was a decisive central complex for centuries afterwards, a venue for such important events as the Peace of Szeged (1444) or the negotiations preceding the election of the young Mátyás Hunyadi as king. After the Turkish occupation the fortress lost its military importance and the Habsburg rulers utilised it as a prison. With the permission of Franz Joseph I, following the Great Flood, the inhabitants of the city promptly pulled it down and the medieval bricks helped satisfy the huge demand for building materials in the city during the time of its reconstruction. The remaining part, the gate Mária Terézia was last restored, being turned into an exhibition hall. The remains of the medieval church once standing in the middle of the court were also discovered during the excavation. Besides the remains, representing the original level of the square before the aggradation, the Roman, gothic, renaissance and baroque carved stones found while pulling down the fortress, and exhibited in the courtyard, also deserve attention.

Its permanent exhibition presents several important historical events from the past of Szeged: visitors can learn about the history of the former Szeged Fortress, the world of witch trials and outlaws, and the destruction of the Great Flood.