We can find the ruins of Hunkóc Castle just five kilometers from Tiba Castle, in Slovakia. Both castles were built in the Kingdom of Hungary, presently they can be found in Eastern Slovakia. Location: https://tinyurl.com/2x23teup
In the territory of the former Ung County, leaving Alsóhunkóc (Choňkovce) village on road 566 towards Tibaváralja (Podhoroď), on the south-western, lower slope of Barlo Hill, at an altitude of 433 meters, are the minor ruins of the castle. The first mention of the settlement of Alsóhunkóc is known from a document of the Vice Comes of Ung, Besenyő Demeter of Deregnye, dated 16 February 1409, as ‘possessionem Hunkolch’. The area was in the hands of the Nagymihályi family’s ancestors, who in 1366 divided the Tiba castle manor in half.
No documentary evidence is known about the castle, but some researchers attribute a 1418 donation letter to the nearby Tiba castle to Alsóhunkóc castle, since according to a 1337 document, Tiba castle was destroyed (“quodam castro deserto Tybauara vocato”). Its builders may have been members of the Nagymihályi family. The pottery fragments in the area suggest that the castle was built in the second half of the 14th century and abandoned/destroyed in the 15th century.
The sheltered area of the castle is 65×30 meters. The steep and inaccessible slopes of the northern and southern sides of the castle hill provided adequate protection, while the south-western and north-eastern sides were defended by a moat carved into the rock. The gently curved trench in the southwest, 30 meters long, is 10 meters wide and 2.5-3 meters deep.
The northeastern moat runs in a U-shape around the castle. The remains of a building with a polygonal end, separated in the middle by a dividing wall, measuring 20×8 meters, stand within the castle. On the western side of the castle, the LIDAR image suggests the possibility of a larger outer castle, but this could only be confirmed or rejected by excavation.
According to the 2023 survey, in front of the central core of the fortress in the southwestern part, three areas surrounded by a rampart can be seen, which could have been the outer or lower fortress. These terrain features were distinguishable even in summer, despite the presence of foliage. It should be noted that a prehistoric castle is also located in the area, on top of Bralo Hill.
The medieval castle, despite its relatively important remains, has not been much discussed in previous literature, but hopefully, it has now attracted the attention of researchers again.
Source: http://www.varlexikon.hu
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Here are a few more pictures of Alsóhunkóc:
