Szigliget Castle, Medieval castle ruin in Szigliget, Hungary

Szigliget Castle is a castle ruin situated on Várhegy hill at approximately 239 meters elevation, offering views across Lake Balaton and the surrounding Tapolca Basin. The structure comprises stone foundations and wall remains standing in the open air, with courtyards and exhibition spaces accessible to visitors.

The Benedictines of Pannonhalma built the earliest parts, a palace wing between two towers and surrounding stone walls, between 1260 and 1262. King Béla IV acquired the castle by exchange in 1262 and entrusted it to the Móriczhida family of the Pok clan. In 1531 Martonfalvay Imre took it for Bálint Török and rebuilt it; a lightning strike ignited gunpowder in 1697, and Leopold I had it demolished in 1702.

The castle's name comes from the village of Szigliget below it; the hill was once an island in Lake Balaton, reachable only by boat until 19th-century water regulation joined it to the shore. The Lengyel family, who held the castle, later built a manor in the valley village instead of repairing the ruined hilltop.

Visitors can reach the ruins via marked hiking paths that lead uphill from the village and are relatively straightforward to follow. Sturdy footwear and some extra time for exploration are recommended, as the ground is uneven and certain sections of the path grow quite steep.

The castle's end came not from siege but from a lightning strike that detonated gunpowder stored in one of its towers in 1697, burning the buildings; the impoverished Lengyel family never rebuilt, moving instead to a manor in the valley. After 1702 Leopold I had it demolished, and locals reused its stones for construction.