Hungarian-Turkish Friendship Park
The Hungarian-Turkish Friendship Park is a public park in Csertő, southwestern Hungary, dedicated in memorial to the Battle of Szigetvár fought in 1566 between the Ottoman Empire and the Hungarian and Croatian defenders of the Szigetvár Castle. The park was established in 1994 and opened jointly by Hungarian and Turkish officials.
Gate of the Hungarian Turkish Friendship Park in Csertő
Castle of Szigetvár
Head sculptures of Nikola IV Zrinski (left) and Sultan Suleiman (right) with the symbolic tomb seen in the background at the Hungarian Turkish Friendship Park, Csertő
The siege of Szigetvár or the Battle of Szigeth was a siege of the fortress of Szigetvár, Kingdom of Hungary, that blocked Sultan Suleiman's line of advance towards Vienna in 1566. The battle was fought between the defending forces of the Habsburg monarchy under the leadership of Nikola IV Zrinski, former Ban of Croatia, and the invading Ottoman army under the nominal command of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
Nikola IV Zrinski's charge from the fortress of Szigetvár (painting by Johann Peter Krafft, 1825)
Artistic impression of Szigetvár by Daniel Meisner and Eberhard Kieser, 1625
Artistic impression of the battle of Szigetvár by Antonio Lafreri, 1566
Ottoman miniature showing Szigetvár before the siege, 16th century