Breathtaking PHOTOS: Hungarian Tisza Castle with rich history renovated

On Tuesday, the Tisza Castle in Geszt, Békés County, was inaugurated. It now boasts not only a rich history but also a stunning new exterior.

History of the Tisza Castle

The castle was built between 1761 and 1772 by the nobleman László Tisza. The last member of the family left the building in 1944, during the Second World War.

The castle has been home to two Hungarian prime ministers.

The castle has been home to two Hungarian prime ministers. Kálmán Tisza, who became its owner in 1860, led the country between 1875 and 1890. After his death, the building passed to his son, István Tisza, who was Prime Minister of Hungary from 1903 to 1905 and from 1913 to 1917, and also Speaker of the House on several occasions. István Tisza was assassinated in his home on 31 October 1918, during the Aster Revolution/Chrysanthemum Revolution (őszirózsás forradalom in Hungarian).

Over the past 250 years, the castle has been visited by many prominent figures, including János Arany, Kálmán Mikszáth and Mór Jókai, who modelled the protagonists of his novel “The Stonehearted Man’s Sons” (A kőszívű ember fiai) on the Tisza family.

The three-storey Baroque-style castle is said to have hosted government meetings and negotiations that influenced the fate of the country, according to the chronicles, writes turizmus.com.

During the time of Count István Tisza, the building underwent significant modernisation: electricity was introduced, hot and cold water tanks were installed in the attic and a telephone line was connected. At the end of the Second World War, the entire building was destroyed after it was looted by the Romanian-Soviet troops. Kálmán Lajos Tisza moved to the United States and during the socialist period, the building was used as a school and a house of education, later a library.

Renovation of the Tisza Castle

The renovation of the Tisza Castle started in 2016 and included the renovation of the János Arany Memorial House, the butler’s lodge, the guest house, the Tisza crypt and the road outside the settlement. The park of the Tisza Castle was also revitalised on 20 hectares. The renovation of the building cost a total of HUF 13.5 billion (EUR 34.4 million).

The newly designed permanent exhibition, covering an area of 1,000 square metres, presents the history of the Tisza family and contemporary Hungary in 25 venues, in four thematic areas: politics, church, family and culture.

Find the Hungarian version of this article on Daily News Hungary’s partner site, Helló Magyar.

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