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In the castle

of princes

and lords

The Esterházy Castle in Fertőd is the largest Baroque-
Rococo monument complex with special architectural

and art historical value in Hungary. The castle is one of

Hungary’s outstanding tourist attractions, a worthy coun-
terpart of Vienna’s Schönbrunn and Versailles near Paris.
Its present form was developed during the second half of

the 18th century. Thanks to the art-supporting activity of
the Esterházy princes who lived here, the castle was one
of the main cultural centres of Hungary in the late 18th
century. Joseph Haydn played music in the Ballroom over
several decades, and the famous “Farewell Symphony”

was performed here for the first time. Nowadays, classical
music concerts are performed by renowned artists from
June to September in the modernized Marionett e Th eatre,
which belongs to the castle.

The name of Nagycenk was closely entwined with the
Széchényi family. The castle is a magnifi cent monument

of early classicism, one of the outstanding works of art
of the castle architecture of Hungary. Ferenc Széchényi
placed his famous collection of tens of thousands of pieces

here, which he offered for the benefit of the Hungarian

nation in 1802. As a result, he became the founder of the
Hungarian National Museum and, indirectly, of the Na-

tional Széchényi Library. The castle, which was originally
built in Baroque style, gained its appearance, which can be
seen today, after several reconstructions, during the time

of Count István Széchenyi. The main building houses the

István Széchenyi Memorial Museum, which is the largest
memorial museum of Hungary. Széchenyi Castle in Nagy-
cenk became a national monument in 2016.

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