The Royal Castle of Zvolen (today’s Pustý hrad) during the Crusades

Abstract

The site of Pustý hrad (“Deserted Castle”) in Zvolen, central Slovakia, was originally the royal castle of Zvolen, constructed in the late twelfth century. Its most extensive building phases are associated with the prominent Árpádian king Andrew II of Hungary. In 1217–1218, he served as a co-organizer and one of the leaders of the ultimately unsuccessful Fifth Crusade to the Holy Land. In the Hungarian context, this expedition represented a significant cultural phenomenon, and its impact was likely also manifested in Hungarian fortress architecture in the first half of the thirteenth century. Within this framework, particular attention is given to the residential tower of the Lower Castle at Pustý hrad, whose dimensions are highly atypical. Its design was probably inspired by contemporary large-scale Crusader fortifications that King Andrew II encountered during his crusading campaign.