Srednyany castle of the Templars in the village of Srednye in Transcarpathia

Uzhhorod and Mukachevo is separated by 42 km, and the center of this distance is an urban-type village with the appropriate name – Serednoe. The first mentions of it date back to the 14th century, and the name predictably resonates with its geographical location.

According to an old legend, people moved the settlement from place to place for a long time until they reached a central point between the two main cities.
Sredne is best known for the ruins of the Templar castle, founded in the 12th and 13th centuries. It is recognized as the easternmost stronghold of the order that dominated during the Middle Ages and is considered to be almost the only surviving structure of the Romanesque style located in the Silver Land.

Its owners were not only priests and soldiers, but also very successful businessmen. Transcarpathia they were attracted by the presence of what was then called white gold. It was ordinary salt, which was in large quantities here. It was very highly valued and storerooms with its stocks were often attacked by robbers. Therefore, they needed reliable and permanent protection.

In addition, the monks provided medical assistance to local residents, even performing surgical treatment.

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Photos and video of the Templars’ Castle of Srednyany

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A brief overview

🗺 Location	N48°32′20″ E22°29′51″
🛠 Construction period	XIII century
🧭 Distance from the village of Sredne	Near
🚙 Road for	Auto and on foot
🏕 Stop with a tent	No
🏡 Housing nearby	Seredne
☕ Cafes and shops	Seredne

History of the castle

In the Middle Ages, the greatness of the Knights Templar commanded the respect of European kings. The crusades brought the soldiers enormous wealth, which was constantly increasing.

Monks were strictly forbidden to leave the castle. But at the beginning of the 14th century the community ended its existence, and the citadel was handed over to the ministers of St. Anthony, who also practiced healing. At the end of the century, this led to the spread of the Latin script in the local region, for the assimilation of which a school was founded.
Under Charles Robert of Anjou, the Serednyansky Castle (as it is also called) was the subject of disputes between the wealthy Drugets and the large landowners Palachi. Their dispute lasted for about a century and ended with the fortress passing into the hands of the latter.

The last descendant of their family died in 1526 in the battle of Mogacha with the army of Osman. After there were no heirs left, the castle passed to the Dobo family. Its most famous representative is István Dobo, who in the middle of the 16th century during the war between Austria and Turkey led the defense of Eger. His 2,000-strong army did not allow the opponents to break through, which in number far exceeded the forces (more than 100,000 soldiers) led by Ali Pasha. The siege lasted more than 30 days.

I. Dobo visited the fortress many times, and later his son completely restored it, using the labor force of captured Turks. They laid many underground tunnels on the outskirts, with a total length of 4.5 km. Previously, the underground kept the secrets of treasures obtained in wars, and now there are wine cellars, which are now used for their intended purpose.

In the 17th and 18th centuries the castle of the Templars (Transcarpathia) constantly withstood the onslaught of various armies and even other monastic orders. It passed from the ministers of St. Anthony to the members of the community of St. Paul, and later became the property of the Hungarian aristocracy.

Gradually the fortress began to collapse. At the beginning of the 18th century, during the Kurut uprising, it was badly damaged and was not restored later.

How to get to the castle

To get to Serednyan Castle, you need to go along the main street of the village. After passing the bus stop and a large church, you need to get to the mill. Then you need to turn into the alley located on the right. A few tens of meters away you will see ruins made of gray stone.

The tower-donjon – the only element of the castle – is now available for viewing by tourists. In the Romanesque era, it was the main and most effective part of the defense of any fortifications and was adopted from the Roman border buildings made of wood that stood along the Danube and the Rhine.

In the Middle Ages, the building was covered with a pattern of polished stone and fastened at the corners with white slabs. She was very beautiful and made me want to possess her.

The three-tiered keep is 20 m high, and its walls are 2.6 m wide.

Now you can see the first 2 floors, and the third is only partially preserved.

Downstairs was a dungeon and an armory. Next to the tower, a pit filled with stones was dug, which, according to legend, is the remains of a well. Nearby are visible traces of 2 defense lines of the castle in the form of a palisade made of trees and a rampart with a ringed moat.

For security purposes, the entrance was located on the second floor in the courtyard in the center of the eastern wall. There were wooden stairs that were taken away, and in the event of an enemy attack, they were even destroyed. There were three rooms, one of which led to the next floor. A white stone staircase descended, the remains of which were recently discovered by archaeologists.

Modern followers of the Templar order are sure that in those days huge values were stored near the castle. It is possible that even now they are still waiting for their discovery.