What "Highmasker Castle" really is (5 photos)

This photo, which is the first in the article, has been widely circulated on the Internet - usually with the caption Hajmasker Castle, that is, “Hajmasker Castle”. It is reported that it is located in Hungary and has long been abandoned - which is emphasized by the fact that there is a continuous forest around the structure in the photo.





Here “Highmasker Castle” is beautifully buried in forests, but it’s obviously fake

But it’s enough to look at any online map to understand that this is a fake of some kind.

The fact is that this is not a castle, but an artillery barracks, which at one time was considered the largest in Europe. There is no dense forest around them, although all this is actually abandoned. But there are modern buildings nearby; behind the old building, apparently, there was a parade ground, so it will not soon be overgrown with trees.

At the same time, the “photoshopped” frame turned out to be quite impressive and, perhaps, attracted someone’s attention to this not very famous and completely neglected attraction, located in a small village in Hungary.

It is known that, in fact, this was originally a military settlement that appeared at the end of the 19th century by order of the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I.



And this is what “Highmasker Castle” looks like in reality

Although, it is probably more logical to compare this place with an artillery school, since the main task was to create the largest training ground in the country. During the First World War, this place became truly in demand and lived a very active life. They say that there was even something like its own currency here, and they certainly couldn’t do without a special military prison.

During World War II, Nazi troops set up their base here, and after the liberation of Hungary, the Soviet army used the barracks for exactly the same purposes.

Interestingly, our military remained here until 1990, almost until the collapse of the USSR. Those “standard” buildings that can now be seen right next to the “castle” are also Soviet buildings. They say people still live there.





And this is the current state of the old artillery barracks in Haymasker

In notes about this unusual place you can often read that Soviet soldiers took away everything valuable - but if you consider that for more than four decades it was the Soviet military that were responsible for this property, then it is strange to expect that there was something left there that did not belong to them.

But as a “fun fact” it is told that Soviet newspapers were found glued to the walls of the barracks...

However, now there is no particular point in talking about who took what, especially since the Hungarians themselves did not do anything with the “historical monument”, they did not even close it “until better times.” Or rather, they left it as is - come in whoever you want, take what you want...



Graffiti is encountered already at the exit to the Highmasker barracks

There are no excursions, guides or organized tours here. To the rare tourists who come to explore this place, residents tell stories about ghosts, although, judging by the garbage and graffiti inside the premises, these ghosts are quite material.

We can say that half of the work to render the old barracks unusable was done by local residents and those lovers of abandoned places who come to such places in order to “leave their mark.”

Although in fact this “artillery castle” is a truly unique place, if only due to the architecture of the building. It is no coincidence that it is confused with a castle - Hungary, as you know, is famous for its castles, so it’s easy to get confused.



Well, this is what all the rooms of the old barracks in Highmasker look like