Arrabona - Múzeumi közlemények 44/2. - A Castrum Bene Egyesület 12. Vándorgyűlése (Győr, 2006)

Aszt Ágnes: Mosonmagyaróvár castrumai

ÁSZT Á MOSONMAGYARÓVÁR CASTRUMAI THE CASTRUMS OF MOSONMAGYARÓVÁR In the area of Mosonmagyaróvár 3 castrums were created in the course of history. Their nature and function as well as terminology show fundamental differences. In general castrum means a building complex of military purpose which defended the neighbouring settlement. Thus, when elaborating on Castrum Ad Flexum, Castrum Musun and Castrum Altenburch, the settlements themselves should also be touched upon. The Roman camp of Ad Flexum ("At the Bend") was first localised in Mosonmagyaróvár in 1623 by Philippus Cluverius. Although the archaeological researches started in the 1930s (Paulovits L; Kováts I.), its localisation within the town is still debated. While the initial researches localised it to the area of the still existing castle, today it is suspected to be south-south-east of it. In contrast to the castrum the research of the vicus has been continuous in the area of Téglaföld dűlő, where burials as well as settlement layers and trodden surfaces from the 2-4* centuries have been unearthed. In 2003 the first building of stone foundation was found in the vicus of Ad Flexum. The chronological horizon of the vicus can also be compared to milestone historical events. The first major reconstruction might have occurred around Emperor Hadrian's (117-138) visit. The next reconstruction took place after the Markomann-Quad wars in the third quarter of the 2

nd century. The settlement, which was continuously inhabited during the 4

th century, was abandoned by the firs quarter of the 5

th century when the Huns took over Pannónia Prima in 434/435. Castrum Musun, the centre of the Bailiff of Moson was built on the firm ground situated in the middle of the Moson Plain called Királydomb ("King's Hill") about 2-2.5 km from Ad Flexum, so this latter can not be considered as its predecessor. The rectangular fortress with rounded corners occupied an area of 4.5 hectares in the central part of the hill. The structure of banks situated in the S -SW part of the fortress was described by Tomka P. and Pusztai R.. The dimensions of the suburbium have been unknown. Settlement traces from the Árpádian Age situated the farthest from the fortress were found in Kis utca (S); in Hajós utca (SE) and Erzsébet tér (NE). No traces of the suburbium have been found in the west of the fortress. Based on the existing findings the area of the suburbium included about 5.5 hectares, but its total area might have been twice as big. The fortress, which was built in the first quarter of the 11

th century, served as a refuge for King Péter I and András I during the pagan rebels. Even King Salamon found shelter here after his defeat. The passing Crusaders plundered the fortress and its suburbium several times. During the Tatar invasion it remained in Hungarian hand, but it was occupied by Ottokár II the Bohemian King in 1271. In his letter to home he wrote about the complete destruction of the fortress, which statement can not be supported by the researches, but it is true that the role of the militarily obsolete fortress was taken over by the modern stone castle of Moson in the third quarter of the 13the century. Castrum Altenburch - Castrum Ouar is a still existing building complex in the north-western part of the town. Following uncertain Roman antecedents the area of the castle must have been inhabited in the first half of the 13

th century - some traces of a settlement without defences from the Árpádian Age were found. The obtuse-angled wall section beneath the gate tower might have been built around 1250, while the "castle in the fortress" and the castle chapel of St. Catherine were first mentioned from 1415. The first gate tower (north of the existing gate), the rampart, the moat and the first bridge were built in the 15

th century, while the second gate tower, the pitfall and the Italian bastions were built in the 16

th century. The main difficulty of the research is that the availability of the historical and archaeological data is uneven and this fact hinders the collation of the different types of sources. The castle, which was the centre of the Bailiffs of Moson County, was occupied by foreign powers for two brief periods in the 13

th century (Ottokár II, Dux Albert). From 1360 it belonged to the Queen and in the 15

th century it was mortgaged to the Wolfurt Family of Vereskő. During the Turkish wars it had prominent importance especially between 1595-98, when - during the Turkish occupation of Győr - it became the centre of the regional defence efforts. Its military importance ceased after the independence war of Rákóczi (1703-1711). The town - encircled by moats and Italian defence belt - was built west of the castle and gained the privileges of Buda from Queen Elisabeth in 1354. These privileges have been preserved in a copy of the deed dated from 4

th July 1357. As for the medieval town, except the early town gate, the oldest building of the town - the Cselley House -, the church of St. Gotthard and a section of the late medieval palisade wall have been excavated. Ágnes Aszt 49