Halič

Halič
Village
Halič Castle
Country	Slovakia
Region	Banská Bystrica
District	Lučenec
Elevation	274 m (899 ft)
Coordinates	48°21′N 19°35′E / 48.350°N 19.583°E / 48.350; 19.583Coordinates: 48°21′N 19°35′E / 48.350°N 19.583°E / 48.350; 19.583
Area	21.816218 km2 (8.42329 sq mi)
Population	1,697 (2004-12-31)
Density	78/km2 (202/sq mi)
First mentioned	1299
Postal code	985 11
Area code	+421-47
Car plate	LC
Location of Halič in Slovakia
Location of Halič in the Banská Bystrica Region
Statistics: MOŠ/MIS

Halič (German: Geschatz; Hungarian: Gács) is a village and municipality in the Lučenec District in the Banská Bystrica Region of Slovakia.

In historical records, the village was first mentioned in 1299 (Gach) in the records of the Kingdom of Hungary as the location of a very important castle and it was part of the Kingdom until 1920. From 1554 to 1594 it was occupied by Turks. From 1938 to 1945 it again belonged to Hungary.

The first appearance in literature of the castle in Halič is from the year 1450. Halič the village was first mentioned as a settlement surrounding this castle in 1299 and titled Holuch, Gach but the castle was only mentioned in passing. The castle was built without any royal permission by magister Tamas from Lučenec.

In the years 1450-51 it belonged to the Jiskras, later to János Hunyady before becoming inhabited by King Matthias Corvinus in 1462. In the first half of the 16th century it was in property of Istvan Losonczy. The castle was reconstructed, again without royal permission, by him and was damaged in 1544 during a siege. After the death of Štefan Lučenský, his daughter Anne inherited the county and married Zsigmund Forgách. The Forgáčs were one of the oldest Hungarian aristocratic family being descendants of the Great Moravian family Poznam, who had preserved their positions in Slovakia after its incorporation into the Kingdom of Hungary. The Halič castle was owned by the Forgáčs until 1945.

Zsigmond Forgách rebuilt the castle on land which had been part of the estate of the owner of the county since 1598, choosing a site that was both strategic and offering natural fortifications. In 1612 it was repaired carefully and the foundations of an irregular hexagon was laid. On top of these; a storied building with six corner bastions was constructed, secured by a ditch and mounds. Wings of this hexagon led into a courtyard with plain walls, later covered with many murals depicting figures of the Roman emperors and the Hungarian kings between its windows and entrances.