Careii Mari

Carei, or Nagykároly, was the ancestral seat of the Károlyi family on the plain south-west of Szatmár. In 1482 László Károlyi built a stone house here. As the Ottoman threat grew, his noble descendants surrounded the residence with walls, bastions and a moat, turning it into a fortress that guarded the approaches to their estates.

The castle resisted an Ottoman siege in 1661 and was enlarged during the following years. Sándor Károlyi joined Francis II Rákóczi's rising against the Habsburgs, and the prince stayed at Carei in 1708. In 1711 negotiations for the Peace of Szatmár took place here, with Károlyi playing a central role. Later in the eighteenth century the family replaced the fortress's military works with a residence suited to quieter times.