The Royal Palace of Gödöllő, Grassalkovich Castle 4K

The Royal Palace of Gödöllő or Grassalkovich Castle is an imperial and royal Hungarian palace located in the municipality of Gödöllő in Pest county, central Hungary. It is famous for being a favourite place of the Queen of Hungary Sissi.
The palace is one of the most important, largest monuments of Hungarian palace architecture. Its builder, Count Antal Grassalkovich I (1694-1771) was a typical figure of the regrouping Hungarian aristocracy of the 18th century. He was a Royal Septemvir, president of the Hungarian Chamber, and confidant of Empress Maria Theresa (1740-1780). The construction began around 1733, under the direction of András Mayerhoffer (1690-1771) a famous builder from Salzburg who worked in Baroque and Zopf style.
The palace has a double U shape, and is surrounded by an enormous park. The building underwent several enlargements and modifications during the 18th century; its present shape being established in the time of the third generation of the Grassalkovich family. By then the building had 8 wings, and - besides the residential part - it contained a church, a theatre, a riding-hall, a hothouse, a greenhouse for flowers and an orangery.
After the male side of the Grassalkovich family died out in 1841, the palace had several owners, and in 1867 it was bought for the crown. The decision of parliament designated it the resting residence of the King of Hungary. This state lasted until 1918, thus Francis Joseph (1867-1916) and later Charles IV and the royal family spent several months in Gödöllő every year.
During this period the palace became the symbol of independent Hungarian statehood, and, as a residential centre it had a political significance of its own. It was Queen Elisabeth (1837-1898) who specially loved staying in Gödöllő, where the Hungarian personnel and neighbourhood of the palace always warmly welcomed her. She was able to converse fluently in Hungarian. Following her tragic death, a memorial park adjoining the upper-garden was built.
The period of the royal decades also brought their enlargements and modifications. The suites were made more comfortable, and a marble stable and coach house were built. The riding hall was remodelled.
Between the two world wars the palace served as the residence for Regent Miklós Horthy. No significant building took place during this period, apart from an air-raid shelter in the southern front garden. After 1945 the palace, like many other buildings in Hungary, fell into decay.
Soviet and Hungarian troops used the building, some of the beautifully decorated rooms were used for an old people's home, and the park was divided into smaller plots of land.
On May 11, 1867, Erzsébet saw the Gödöllő castle for the first time as a coronation gift. The oath he took at the coronation ceremony in 1867 obliged Ferenc József I to stay in Hungary regularly. According to this, the Hungarian government wanted to please the ruling couple by building rural residences suitable for relaxation next to the Buda castle, which is considered the political center. Of these, only Gödöllő was realized.
The baroque castle with the largest floor area in Hungary was built in the 18th century. It was built in the middle of the 20th century by one of the country's most prestigious lords, Antal I. Grassalkovich (1694-1771). After the family died out, it had several owners. The Hungarian state bought it in 1867, and after a quick renovation, gave the right to use the castle and the park to Joseph Ferenc I and Elisabeth as a coronation gift.
The castle consisted of a total of 136 rooms. Of these, there were 103 living rooms, 67 of which were occupied by the staff. The royal suites were created in the main building, to the north and south of the ceremonial hall. The primary goal was not splendor, but comfort. The king's suite was covered in corn-yellow wood paneling and gray silk wallpaper. Erzsébet's suite was characterized by the color of her favorite flower, violet. (Both were later renovated in the white-red-gold colors.) Erzsébet's suite consisted of a drawing room, a writing room, a dressing room, a bedroom and a reading room. A spiral staircase led from the upper floor to his three-room suite on the ground floor. Next to Elizabeth's rooms, the suite of the reader, Ida Ferenczy, was created, and after that came the rooms of the royal children.
Official website:
kiralyikastely.hu