What if these modest earthworks could whisper tales of medieval Hungary? We stand on the likely site of Aynard vára a vanished castle in Pest county. Its story is one of family ambition conflict and ultimate disappearance.
Aynard vára likely stood on Nyerges-hegy. This strategic location is near Piliscsaba Tinnye and Perbál. Imagine this 380-meter height in the Budai Mountains. It offered a commanding view of the surrounding lands.
The Aynard family a French clan arrived in Hungary in the late 12th century. They came with the wife of King Béla III. Anna of Antioch. The family gained land including Zsámbék and Perbál. Aynárd son of Miklós built a castle here after the Tatar invasion. This offered protection in a turbulent era. Aynard vára was likely Pest and Pilis counties’ only private castle in the 13th century.
Construction likely occurred before the Tatar invasion around 1241. Béla Radványi estimates it to be around 1220. No stone structures mark the site. Instead the earthworks suggest a wooden and earthen rampart castle. Intriguingly Radványi believed Aynard vára survived the Tatar invasion. After 1242 King Béla IV ordered stone castles. If Aynard vára had been destroyed it would have been rebuilt in stone.
The building family member had traveled to the Holy Land. He brought back rampart construction techniques. This adapted Hungarian earthwork techniques to mountainous terrain. This made Aynard vára unique.
The first written record of Aynard vára is from 1274. The Esztergom chapter reported to King László IV. They had inducted nuns to their Piliscsaba property. The document mentions a road from Piliscsév. It also mentions the Pilis forest Kovácsi residents Tyne village and Eynard castle.
Aynard vára did not last. By the 14th century regional conflicts doomed it. The family chose to build elsewhere. A document from 1401 describes Aynard vára as deserted and ruined. János son of Miklós was its last owner. However another document from the same year does not mention its ruinous state.
Béla Radványi suggests the castle’s destruction came in 1396. The Aynard family may have been disloyal to King Zsigmond. The king seized the castle around 1392. He gave it to Kükkei Somrákos. István Lackfi allied with the Aynards. He retook the fortress destroying it.
After 1401 written sources are silent about Aynard vára. Its location was forgotten. Yet locals preserved the name. Nyerges-hegy is also known as Ajnár Ajnát and Zajnát-hegy. A nearby plateau is called Hajnár.
During World War II the hill regained strategic importance. Soviet soldiers fired on retreating Hungarian and German soldiers. This was during the Buda Castle breakout attempt.
Today the presumed site features a narrow ridge with two peaks. Earthworks encircle the hilltop suggesting a castle once stood here. Ákos Kiss noted fortification marks in the 1950s. He likened Aynard vára to Szanda Castle. Béla Radványi compared it to Bibevár.
Ákos Kiss identified circular ditches. He also located a residential tower. However Zsuzsanna Miklós’s excavations in 1980 were negative. She found only bedrock. She did not consider the depressions to be rampart remains. She suggested construction was started but never finished.
Aynard vára’s location is nearly inaccessible from three sides. Steep slopes provide natural defense. A tourist path from Nagykovácsi to Perbál offers access. The summit rewards climbers with panoramic views. The Esztergom Basilica is visible on clear days. Aynard vára remains an enigma. Its story blends historical fact with local legend.