Festetics Palace
Festetics Palace is a monument of history and architecture of the 18th century. It is located in the southwestern part near Lake Balaton in the Hungarian city of Keszthely. The building was built in accordance with the canons of French architects in the Baroque style. There is a museum here where you can learn the history of past events.
History and merits of the Festetic family
Before describing the Festetics Palace, we should tell the story of a noble family. The first Festetics arrived in Hungary from Croatia in the middle of the 17th century. Unlike most rulers, people remember representatives of this family with respect and gratitude. The Festetics are considered reformers, noble people who have done many good deeds. They spent the resulting wealth not only on themselves, but also on the needs of the city that had become their home.
In the middle of the 18th century, one of the first Festetics, Kristof, built a city hospital. In 1772, Pal Festetic opened a school for the townspeople. Thanks to Gyorgy (George) Festetics, the first agricultural university in Europe, called Georgikon, opened in Keszthely in 1797. In the southern wing of his house, Gyorgy placed a library called Helikon. It is important that all students could freely use books from Helikon.
Literary competitions were held among students and senior gymnasium students with poetry readings and theatrical performances. The Helikon Literary Festival is popular among Hungarian schoolchildren in our time. Thanks to Gyorgy, the uniqueness and healing properties of the waters of Lake Hefiz were proven. He carried out work to drain the swamps around the reservoir, built a bathhouse, a hospital, and laid out a park.
His descendants continued the development of the region. Agriculture, winemaking, and animal husbandry developed intensively here. A stud farm was built to breed thoroughbred horses. The Festetics were the founders of sailing on Lake Balaton, and now there is a sailing and yacht club in the town. Already at the beginning of the 20th century, Tasilo Festetic founded a city park. Its main attraction is the 7-kilometer pine alley.
Features of Festetics Palace
The palace is still the main attraction of visiting tourists. It is in excellent condition. The palace and park complex was built in the 18th century. The architect clearly imitated the creators of French mansions created in the Baroque style. Festetics Palace is also impressive in its external appearance and amazing in its interior decoration.
Already at the entrance to the park, guests are greeted by a monumental gate with an exquisite openwork lattice. The park has flower beds and is surrounded by sculptures and fountains. When it gets dark, beautiful lanterns come on. The premises inside the Festetics Palace are strikingly luxurious and furnished with refined taste. The rooms are decorated with exquisite furniture and ancient portraits, including representatives of the Festetics dynasty. A staircase with openwork railings leads to the second floor of the building.
It is impossible to take your eyes off the antique candlesticks and clocks, porcelain dishes. At the musical evenings held here you can hear the sound of an ancient piano. The premises are illuminated by crystal chandeliers and sconces. Visitors to Festetics Palace are especially impressed by the ancient library, which contains more than 80,000 volumes. Here you can find the first printed books, sheet music with notes by Joseph Haydn, and picture books for children.
