Vyshkovo Castle near the village of Vyshkovo

In the village of Vyshkovo are the remains of another powerful medieval Transcarpathian castle. This castle was first mentioned in historical sources in 1271. The castle was built by brothers Mik and Istvan Csepa from the Gunt-Pazman family. The land for its construction was given to them by the Hungarian King Laszlo IV. They decided to build the castle in a very convenient place from a defensive point of view on the Várhegy Mountain (translated from Hungarian as “castle mountain”). From a height of 589 metres, the castle controlled the “salt route”. During 1300-1350, Vyshkovo Castle was the centre of the Maramorosh County. However, soon all the functions of protecting the “salt route” were transferred to the more powerful neighbouring Khust Castle, and Vyshkovo Castle began to gradually decline.

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Вишківський замок (реконструкція Шооша Елемера)

Схема рельєфу залишків Вишківського замку

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Brief overview

🗺 Location	N48°00′20″ E23°27′33″
🔰 First written mention	1281 year
🏰 Status	Ruins
🧭 Distance from Tyachiv	18 km
🚙 Road for	Auto and on foot
🏕 Stop with a tent	Yes
🏡 Housing nearby	Tyachiv
☕ Cafes and shops	Tyachiv

Detailed description of the castle ruins near Vyshkovo

Nowadays, there are still drawings of the Vyshkovo Fortress, made by the Hungarian military historian and researcher Szőos Elemer. It shows a mighty fortress with stone walls, located on top of a mountain. A stone watchtower stands in the central part of the castle. Near the central gate, there is another tower, cut into the wall. It is not known how much the picture can be trusted. It is quite possible that it is just a figment of the author’s imagination.

Today, the castle hill is densely overgrown with trees and there are practically no traces of the former fortifications. The only thing that tells us about the fortress is the relief feature, which strongly resembles earthen ramparts and ditches.

In 2006, an expedition was conducted to study the castle, but archaeologists did not find any traces of the fortress.

Coordinates: 48 ° 24’00.0 “N 23 ° 16’00.0” E.

The legend of the castle on Mount Varkhed

There is an interesting legend about the castle. It says that after the fortress fell into decay, the mountain was inhabited by robbers. They robbed and kept the people living in the villages nearby in fear.

Once they kidnapped Ilona, the daughter of the richest and most influential merchant in Vyshkovo. The robbers locked her up in one of the castle’s dungeons, hoping to get a substantial ransom. The girl asked for help from higher powers, cursing the robbers. The pleas were heard, and at that moment a powerful storm arose, lightning struck the mountain, opening a rift that swallowed up all its inhabitants. After some time, a lake was formed at this place, which remained the city’s decoration for a long time.