Sent-Miklosh Castle (Chynadievo) - Castles on Waymarking.com

Sent-Miklosh Castle (Chynadievo)

The first historical mention of the town of Sent-Miklosh (Saint Michael) was in 1247 when Hungarian King Bela IV gave the region to his son-in-law Rostislav Mikhailovich. Rostislav was a prince of Kyiv-Rus who unsuccessfully attempted to gain control of the Principality of Halych (Galicia). The town derived its name from its central St. Michael’s Church.

The town changed hands many times in the 14th Century but finally fell into the hands of Transylvanian Count Peter Pereni in the early 15th Century. He commenced to build the first fortress in Sent-Miklosh. That castle lasted for 200 years until the forces of Polish Prince Jerzy Sebastian Lubomirski destroyed it in 1657 during its retaliation against Transylvania. Earlier that year Transylvania, with Ukrainian Cossack and Swedish allies, had invaded Poland taking Krakow and Warsaw. The Cossack and Swedish forces abandoned the war and Poland was able to stage a successful counter-invasion of Transylvania.

Eventually peace was re-established and the territory was returned to Transylvania and the castle was rebuilt under the control of Transylvanian Prince Ferenc I Rakoczi who lived in nearby Palanok Castle (Mukachave). This is the castle that can be seen today.

It was a plain castle without adornment built in the shape of the mathematical pi. It contained secret passages between rooms and floors and underground escape tunnels into the forest.

Rakoczi’s son, Prince Ferenc II Rakoczi, led an unsuccessful independence war against the Habsburg Empire (Austria) from 1703-1711. The Austrian government took control of his estates including the castle in Sent-Miklosh. The castle and surrounding region was given to Archbishop of Mainz and Bamberg, Lothar Franz von Schoenborn, by Charles VI as gratitude for assuring Charles election as Holy Roman Emperor in 1711. The gift included 200 villages and 4 towns comprising an area of 600,000 acres of land.

The Schoenborn family remained in possession of Sent-Miklosh and the castle until the region became a part of the Soviet Union after World War II and the town renamed Chynadievo. Today the castle belongs to Ukrainian artist Yosip Bartosh who runs an art school in the castle.

Just ring the front doorbell and Yosip will be glad to give you a tour of the castle. He will let you walk through the secret passages and tell you the many intrigues that occurred over the centuries within its walls. You can also prearrange a dinner party inside the castle catered by a nearby restaurant. You can contact Yosip at (38050) 175-1779 or at kalhan-a@meta.ua.

Accessibility: Full access Condition: Partly ruined Admission Charge?: yes Website: Not listed

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