PHOTOS: The ruined castle of the “most Hungarian” Habsburg near Budapest
Archduke Joseph is remembered as the “most Hungarian” Habsburg due to his monumental contributions to the advancement of the Hungarian Kingdom during the Reform Era. While he was born Austrian, many say he died as a Hungarian in both spirit and deed.
The legacy of Archduke Joseph, “the most Hungarian Habsburg”
Archduke Joseph is remembered as “the most Hungarian Habsburg” due to his monumental contributions to the advancement of the Hungarian Kingdom during the Reform Era. While he was born Austrian, many say he died as a Hungarian in both spirit and deed. More precisely, he was born as an Austrian archduke but passed away as a Hungarian citizen.
In 1818, he exchanged his estate in Püspökladány for the Alcsút property—a neglected and overgrown land where he began executing his ambitious plans. He developed nine farming settlements, transforming the area for agricultural purposes and animal husbandry.
The centerpiece of his vision was a grand neoclassical palace, designed by Mihály Pollack, and completed between 1820 and 1827. The palace was surrounded by an expansive English-style landscaped garden, a popular trend of the time. Due to Archduke Joseph’s passion for horticulture and successful efforts in naturalizing foreign plant species, the park evolved into one of Hungary’s most magnificent arboretums. The garden was planned in collaboration with Karl Tost, the head gardener of Schönbrunn, with active input from the archduke himself.
Lavishly decorated halls and private apartments filled the palace’s interior, adorned with artworks, decorative furnishings, and rare antiques. Within its walls were housed the archduke’s extensive arms collection, a family portrait gallery, a library, and an archive. Additionally, the estate featured a neo-Romanesque chapel designed by Ferenc Storno and a massive greenhouse planned by Miklós Ybl, including dedicated sections for oranges and cacti.
The Alcsút garden earned the nickname “The Mecca of Hungarian Plant Naturalization.” Several exotic tree species, which were previously unknown in Hungary, found a home here. Many of Budapest’s notable plane trees—such as those in City Park, Margaret Island, and along Andrássy Avenue—were originally transplanted from Alcsút.
A picturesque lake was created within the park, featuring a shoreline with graceful curves. The figure-eight-shaped Klotild Island, with its winding paths, hydrangea beds, and cypress trees, became a beloved retreat for the archduke’s family.
The tragic fate of the palace
The final residents of the estate were Archduke Joseph Francis of Austria and his wife, Princess Anna Monica of Saxony. In 1944, just days before Soviet forces entered Alcsút, the couple fled, leaving behind the palace’s furnishings and valuables in the hope of returning soon.
The departing family took almost nothing with them, so as not to set a bad example. Believing their absence would be temporary, they buried many treasures in the palace gardens. However, once it became evident that aristocrats would not be allowed to return, these hidden riches were looted—some stolen for profit, others taken with the intent to preserve them from destruction.
A far greater tragedy struck when, shortly after Soviet forces had passed through, the palace mysteriously burned down. The 150-room estate was reduced to ruins, taking with it an irreplaceable 64,000-volume library—including five of Hungary’s prized Corvina manuscripts—along with the archive, furnishings, and all flammable materials. According to family accounts, a local resident, known to be the village’s first communist, may have been responsible for setting the fire as an act of personal revenge.
By 1949, the remaining walls were ordered demolished, and the bricks repurposed for local construction projects. The surviving auxiliary buildings were handed over to a collective farm. Today, the restored chapel and the grand entrance portico of the main structure stand as somber reminders of the estate’s once majestic past, as well as the snowdrops and the breathtaking landscape that embody its lost grandeur.
Interestingly, a major habitat for snowdrops near Budapest is located in Alcsút, within the Arborétum, once part of the castle park belonging to Archduke Joseph of Habsburg.
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