CCityOTS observer
Eger Castle and minaret
A castle that withstood the Ottoman siege of 1552 and the northernmost Ottoman minaret in Europe.
Eger, the second-largest city of Northern Hungary, lies in the hills between the Mátra and Bükk mountains and is known for its red wines and thermal baths.
In 1552 an Ottoman army under Kara Ahmed Pasha besieged Eger Castle, but its defenders under captain István Dobó held out against odds of about 17 to 1 — a symbol of patriotic heroism for Hungarians. The Ottomans took the castle in 1596.
From the Ottoman period survives a 40-metre minaret, the northernmost Ottoman minaret, which visitors can climb by its narrow stairway.
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Updated: October 3, 2026