Palanok Castle
<p><font size="3">The <b>Palanok Castle</b> or <b>Mukacheve Castle</b> (</font><a title="Ukrainian language" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_language"><font size="3">Ukrainian</font></a><font size="3">: <span lang="uk" xmllang="uk">Замок "Паланок", <a title="Romanization of Ukrainian" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanization_of_Ukrainian">translit.</a>
<i>Zamok "Palanok"</i></span>; </font><a title="Hungarian language" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_language"><font size="3">Hungarian</font></a><font size="3">: <span lang="hu" xmllang="hu"><i>Munkács vára</i></span>) is a </font><a title="List of castles in Ukraine" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_castles_in_Ukraine"><font size="3">historic castle</font></a><font size="3"> in the city of </font><a title="Mukacheve" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mukacheve"><font size="3">Mukacheve</font></a><font size="3"> in the western </font><a title="Ukraine" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine"><font size="3">Ukrainian</font></a><font size="3">
</font><a title="Oblast" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblast"><font size="3">oblast</font></a><font size="3"> (</font><a title="Administrative divisions of Ukraine" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_divisions_of_Ukraine"><font size="3">province</font></a><font size="3">) of </font><a title="Zakarpattia Oblast" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zakarpattia_Oblast"><font size="3">Zakarpattia</font></a><font size="3">. The Palanok Castle is currently one of six delicately preserved castles in </font><a title="Europe" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe"><font size="3">Europe</font></a><font size="3">.<sup class="reference" id="_ref-myukraine.info_0"><a title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palanok_Castle#_note-myukraine.info">[1]</a></sup> It is located on a former 68 meter high </font><a title="Volcano" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcano"><font size="3">volcanic hill</font></a><font size="3"> and consists of three parts: the high, middle, and low castle.<sup class="reference" id="_ref-ukrainaincognita-1_0"><a title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palanok_Castle#_note-ukrainaincognita-1">[2]</a></sup></font></p><p><font size="3">The founding </font><a title="Cornerstone" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornerstone"><font size="3">cornerstone</font></a><font size="3"> for the castle was laid sometime in the 14th century. The castle was later transformed into an impregnable </font><a title="Fortress" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortress"><font size="3">fortress</font></a><font size="3"> by </font><a title="France" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France"><font size="3">French</font></a><font size="3"> engineers. After the </font><a title="Storming of the Bastille" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storming_of_the_Bastille"><font size="3">storming of the</font></a><font size="3">
</font><a title="Bastille" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastille"><font size="3">Bastille</font></a><font size="3">, a famous French prison, the Palanok Castle was used as an all-European political prison.<sup class="reference" id="_ref-myukraine.info_1"><a title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palanok_Castle#_note-myukraine.info">[1]</a></sup> Through the centuries, the castle served as a residence to many people: the Koriatovych family for almost 200 years,<sup class="reference" id="_ref-castles.org_0"><a title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palanok_Castle#_note-castles.org">[3]</a></sup> the </font><a title="List of Serbian monarchs" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Serbian_monarchs"><font size="3">Serbian prince</font></a><font size="3">
</font><a title="George, Prince of Rascia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George,_Prince_of_Rascia"><font size="3">Đurađ Branković</font></a><font size="3">, </font><a title="Regent" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regent#Hungary"><font size="3">Regent of Hungary</font></a><font size="3">
</font><a title="John Hunyadi" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hunyadi"><font size="3">János Hunyadi</font></a><font size="3">, and the wife of a </font><a title="List of Hungarian rulers" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Hungarian_rulers"><font size="3">Hungarian king</font></a><font size="3">, Laiosh Maria, among many others.<sup class="reference" id="_ref-myukraine.info_2"><a title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palanok_Castle#_note-myukraine.info">[1]</a></sup></font></p><p><font size="3">During the ownership of Prince Fedir Koriatovych, the castle became one of the most protected castles in the region. The prince and his family lived in the highest part of the castle, which had lavishly decorated interiours. </font><a title="Francis II Rákóczi" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_II_Rákóczi"><font size="3">Francis II Rákóczi</font></a><font size="3"> later used the castle as the centre of a rebellion led by himself. From 1796—1897, the castle was used as a prison. During 1805—1806, the </font><a title="Crown of St. Stephen" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_of_St._Stephen"><font size="3">Crown of St. Stephen</font></a><font size="3"> was kept within the castle to protect it from </font><a title="Napoleon I of France" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_I_of_France"><font size="3">Napoleon I</font></a><font size="3">'s troops. In 1926, the castle was used as a </font><a title="Barracks" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barracks"><font size="3">barracks</font></a><font size="3">, and later as an agricultural college.</font></p><p><font size="3">At the time of the castle's height, it had a strong protection: 164 </font><a title="Cannon" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannon"><font size="3">cannons</font></a><font size="3"> of varying sizes and 60 barrels of </font><a title="Gunpowder" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpowder"><font size="3">gunpowder</font></a><font size="3">.<sup class="reference" id="_ref-castles.org_1"><a title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palanok_Castle#_note-castles.org">[3]</a></sup> The castle was also surrounded by deep </font><a title="Moat" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moat"><font size="3">moat</font></a><font size="3">, surrounded by high wooden walls, to protect the castle from invaders.</font></p><p><font size="3">The total area of the castle is 14,000 </font><a title="Square metre" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_metre"><font size="3">m²</font></a><font size="3">. The castle consists of 130 different rooms with a complex system of underground passages connecting them together. The castle currently houses a museum dedicated to the history of Mukacheve and the castle.</font></p>[attach]6255[/attach]<br/>
