PEOPLE: Medieval well found in the courtyard of Csonkavár in Királyhelmec

texts and photos by Róbert Németi The ruins of the so-called Csonkavár, the remains of a medial fortress of Királyhelmec, which overlooks the town towards the Carpathians, have been excavated since 2018. Since then, the building has literally come out of the ground, with old walls, halls and rooms emerging over the span of seven years. Excavation work in the courtyard of the castle ruins also led to the discovery of a medieval well, which experts believe may be as deep as 34 metres. Although no one would notice it from the outskirts, or even from the streets of the city centre, the small town of around 8,000 inhabitants still boasts a fortress or at least parts of one. According to a county monograph published at the beginning of the 20th century, there was a small fortress here as early as the 14th century, but no source has proved this. However, it can be assumed that the locals did not let the excellent terrain go unused and that the Pálóczi family, who ruled the town at the time, built the ancestor of the Csonkavár, a small fortified manor house, on the hill overlooking the town in 1414. In 1526, the […]