The community of Drégelypalánk is located between the north slopes of Börzsöny Mountain and the forest of Ipoly in Nógrád County. The romantic castle probably from the 13th century towers above the region from the top of 444 metres high andesite cone.
Its importance mostly increased during the Turkish conquering. After the defeat of Mohács 1526, it sheltered Archbishop Pál Várday, who later established a permanent garrison here. In 1526 Ali Pasha laid siege to the castle, however, the defenders under the command of captain György Szondy were able to withstood the siege for a few a days. Finally, they were outnumbered and the captain with his companions fought till their heroic death. Their act of patriotism is considered to be one of the greatest sacrifice.
Nowadays, the castle functions as an archaeological site besides as a tourist destination and reconstructed monument, respectively. Miklós Melocco’s work (2004) summons the battle. Among the town’s monuments we can discover the spectacular baroque church which holds the relic of Saint Erszébet (1207-1231) from the Árpád dynasty. The surroundings and the whole Bakony Mountain await the hikers. The highest mountaintop, the Csóványos (938 m) gives us the one of the most beautiful panorama of the country with the Danube.

Further information: www.dregelypalank.hu