He added: The origin of the extremely fine 12th-century stone carvings is still unknown, but it is certain that they belonged to a prestigious building. Although a Johannite convent is known to exist in nearby Csurgó, and a royal mansion is thought to exist in an as yet unidentified location, these assumptions still need further research. As only about a fifth of the former Berzence castle has been excavated, and the central part of the hill is unknown, the noble manor house must be here, which is later than the Árpád castle, but is the earliest supposed core of the castle.

The rest of this year’s finds were perfectly in line with what experts are looking for in a late medieval/early modern castle. Most of the finds were cold weapons: battle axes and pickaxes. The castle had been set on fire twice by the Hungarians to make it unusable for the Turks, as evidenced by charred beams and metal objects fused in the extreme fire.

Thanks to this year’s excavation season, the fortress has become a spectacular sight, as the previous sections have been compressed, so that the southern part of the fortress can now be explored on one large surface. The plan is to continue the excavation next year towards the north, towards the central part of the fortress, and to start preserving the walls. In addition to the research, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on demonstration, with almost all the schoolchildren in Berzence visiting the excavation in an organised way.

The excavation of Berzence Castle took place this year, as it has always been since 2021, with the support of the National Cultural Fund, at the initiative of the local municipality, and with their funding. (My note: some people think the carved stones are as early as the 11. century.)

(Source: Műemlékem.hu Magazine)