The castle, located in Eger is an important monument in Hungary symbolising resistance and bravery. In 1552 it was one of the last remaining fortresses of the Kingdom of Hungary, guarded only by 2000 soldiers. At the autumn of 1552, it was sieged by Ottoman forces, outnumbering the defenders 10 to 1. After a 2-month-long siege, the turkish forces were forced to retreat as winter was approaching, only to come back 40 years later to take over the city for a 100 years. This served as inspiration to one of the most influental hungarian novels, The Stars of Eger by Géza Gárdonyi, published in 1901. Today, the castle counts as important tourist destination and remains an important landmark of hungarian history.