Esterházy-kastély

About the museum

On the site of the Esterházy Palace in Pápa, the Garai family built a castle in the first half of the 15th century; the Pápa estate passed to the Esterházys in 1626. Esterházy Ferenc had a monumental residence designed in 1743 by Franz Anton Pilgram, on the site of the castle which had lost its defensive role. Construction of the baroque palace under the direction of Grossmann József and Fellner Jakab was completed by 1784. The walls of the chapel are decorated with frescoes by Joseph Ignaz Mildorfer; the ballroom, the Palatine Hall (Nádor-terem) and the Hall of Ancestors (Ősök csarnoka) were created during the reconstruction in the 1860s.

After the Second World War the Soviet army used the palace until 1959, and its interior was almost completely destroyed. Later it housed a library, a music school, a community centre and a local history museum. The renovation of the main building took place in several stages between 1988 and 2015; the restoration of the castle chapel in 1990 was honoured with the Europa Nostra Award.

Today the palace offers guided tours of the aristocratic interiors; on the ground floor there is an exhibition on the life’s work of the painter and colour researcher Nemcsics Antal, as well as exhibitions of the Gróf Esterházy Károly Múzeum, a Lego exhibition and play house, and temporary exhibitions. The Kékfestő Múzeum (Blue-Dye Museum) is the museum’s other exhibition site in Pápa.

Highlights

• Baroque aristocratic interiors with guided tour, Palatine Hall and Hall of Ancestors
• Chapel with Mildorfer frescoes
• Permanent exhibition of the painter and colour researcher Nemcsics Antal
• Lego exhibition and play house for children
• Living history guided tour

Permanent exhibitions

• Főúri enteriőr – Baroque interiors visited with a guided tour: state rooms, the Palatine Hall, the Hall of Ancestors and the chapel with frescoes.
• Nemcsics Antal állandó kiállítása – On the ground floor, an exhibition presenting the life’s work of the painter and colour researcher Nemcsics Antal.
• Lego kiállítás és játszóház – A Lego-brick model of the Esterházy family’s former home in Pápa, with building tables.

Operated by

Gróf Esterházy Károly Kastély- és Tájmúzeum, Pápa

Admission & discounts

The exhibitions of the Gróf Esterházy Károly Múzeum can be visited with the discounts granted to visitors of museum institutions. Proof is required for reduced tickets. Payment in cash, by bank card, with SZÉP card or by advance bank transfer.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Visitors with limited mobility can reach the exhibition spaces by lift.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Playground / play area
• Kids’ birthday parties

Interactive museum education sessions for ages 5–14, a Lego exhibition and play house with eight play tables, birthday parties. Children under two may only be taken to the upper-floor rooms in a front carrier; the pushchair can be left at the ticket office.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Gift shop; free lockers with individual locks for bags and valuables, whose use is mandatory in the exhibition rooms.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Civil and church weddings in the Hall of Nádor, corporate events, conferences, gala dinners; children’s birthday parties for ages 5–12 (max. 15 persons, 3 hours).

Plan your visit