Bucket list: 15 castles to visit in Hungary

These are the most beautiful and well-known castles of Hungary. They are worth visiting even if you are not that interested in history. The architecture, the atmosphere, and the surroundings will make your trip worthwhile.

Impress Magazin collected these beautiful castles from all over the country.

Grassalkovich Castle, Gödöllő

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

This Baroque-style building was designed by Antal Grassalkovich, and it had 136 rooms at its prime. There was also a chapel, a bath, a theatre hall, a riding hall, a marble barn, a French-style garden and a safari park. The castle served as a base during the 1848 Revolution. Sisi and Ferenc József were often relaxing here during autumn and spring. Allegedly, the castle is currently owned by a Belgian bank. For more information, read our other article on this magnificent piece of architecture.

Festetics Castle, Keszthely

Photo: Facebook.com/festeticskastelyhivatalos/

This castle is famous for its owner and for the role it played in Hungarian history. The building is Hungary’s 4th largest castle with its 101 rooms. The size of the library, though not as large as it was in its time, is still unique. There is also an oak tree here which is over 400 years old.

Forgách Palace, Szécsény

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

This castle is unique among the castles in Hungary because its Baroque-style building stands out from among the others. It was built in 1760. During Napoleon’s military expedition, it operated as a hospital. After the war, the castle was rebuilt and now houses a museum.

Schossberger Castle, Tura

Photo: Wiki Commons by CivertanS

Ybl Miklós designed this castle, and it took over ten years to build. The castle is called the “Little Sibling of the Opera House” because of its neo-Renaissance style. Unfortunately, it was closed in the fall of 2016 due to renovation, and there is no information about the reopening dates yet. However, visitors can still take a look at the building from the outside.

Nádasdy Castle, Nádasdladány

Photo: www.facebook.com/pages/Nádasdy-Kastély-Nádasdladány

The Castle is much older, but the building we see today was built in the 19th century when the castle was reconstructed in the Tudor style. The designer, István Linzbauer, followed the request of the Nádasdy family who originated from England, hence the new style. The family lived in the castle until WWII when they had to leave it. After the war, the building was owned by the Ministry of National Defence.

Széchenyi Castle, Nagycenk

Széchenyi castle in Nagycenk; https://www.facebook.com/nagycenk.szechenyikastely/

This castle was the residence of “the greatest Hungarian” István Széchenyi, founder of the Hungarian Academy of Science. Széhenyi operated in Nagycenk from 1814. Unfortunately, WWII took its toll on this building because the nearby park got hit during an English bomb-run in 1944. Many windows broke, and tiles also fell off due to the strong shock wave. In June and July of 1945, locals ravaged the castle and burnt almost everything.

Andrássy Castle, Tiszadob

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

According to the oral tradition, the castle was built at the request of the first Foreign Minister of Austro-Hungary, Gyula Andrássy in honour of Sisi. The construction took five years, and the castle was finished in 1885. The Romantic-Neo-Gothic castle is thought to be one of the most beautiful castles of Hungary.

Károlyi Castle, Fehérvárcsurgó

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The building was constructed in the Classicist style, designed by Miklós Ybl and Heinrich Koch. The history of the castle goes back to 1691. At that time, it was the residence of the Hochburg family. After several exchanges of owners, it fell into the hands of György Károlyi, who became famous for donating 40,000 Ft (125 €) to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1825. The castle currently operates as a hotel, but guided tours are often organised.

Károlyi Castle, Nagymágocs

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Imre Károly built the castle between 1896 and 1897. The building was constructed in Neo-Baroque and Eclectic styles. Besides the castle, the park is an exciting tourist attraction too. The park has a 41-hectare green area and a 10-hectare lake.

Eszterházy Palace, Fertőd

Photo: Pixabay

The castle in Fertőd was built between 1720 and 1766 at the request of Miklós Eszterházy. This is the largest Baroque building in Hungary, also referred to as the “Hungarian Versailles”. Famous composer, Joseph Haydn, also worked here.

Wenckheim Castle, Szabadkígyós

Photo: Wiki Commons by Laszlo Kulisics

This building is famous because of its designer Miklós Ybl. The small town of Szabadkígyós is very proud of the castle which was built in 1879 in Neo-Renaissance style.

Rudnyánszky Castle, Budapest

Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org By torobala

This is one of the most famous Baroque monuments in Hungary. The castle was built between 1743 and 1751.

L’Huillier–Coburg Castle, Edelény

Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org by MilanPataky

This is Hungary’s 7^th largest castle. It was built in the 18^th century.

Bory Castle, Székesfehérvár

Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

It took over 36 years to build this castle, which is an official Guinness World Record. It was meant to symbolise eternal love. Statues of many famous Hungarians can be found inside the castle’s French-style garden.

Source: www.impressmagazin.hu