Almaşu / Váralmás, castle of Dezső

 

We can make a conclusion about the layout of the castle from an inventory made in 1627 which includes a guesthouse, the house of the pater, the house of the judge royal (curialis comes), a chapel and farming houses. Nowdays only the western, 4 storey tower stands alone, on an area of 5x5 ms, with 2 ms thick walls, in a hight of 20ms.

The holes for the joists and the remains of a chimney can be recognised on the inside walls. One corner of the tower has collapsed, the other parts have some concrete repairs on them. Only the foundations can be seen of all other walls and towers, where its not covered by soil.

The castle - castrum Almás - was first mentioned in 1370 in a grant certificate, when Bebek György - master of the queen's tresury and the head of Liptó county - received it with all the mills and tolls from Louis the 1st. King Matthias granted the castle to Pongrácz János, voivodine of Transylvania, because of his brave against the Turks.

Pongrácz died without successor, so from 1501 the castle became the property of the king. As a cover for his debt of 107 000 forints Vladislaus II granted it to Korvin János, then inherited by his son Kristóf, then by Kristóf's daughters.

In 1602 the troops of Basta, general of the Habsburgs attacked the castle. The defenders handed it over in return of free passing, but after all most of them were slaughtered by the Germans.

In 1658, under the rule of II. Rákóczi György the castle was attacked by the Turks, burned down, the defenders deported.

Afterwards the castle was never rebuilt again, in 1808 its remains were used for building a stable and if the head of the county wouldn't have forbidden it, probably nothing would have remained of it at all.

From: Kiss Gábor: Erdélyi várak, várkastélyok (Panoráma, 1987)