Legendary castle hotels – part I.

One landmarks of Szilvásvárad is the still stunningly beautiful La Contessa Castle Hotel. Three major noble families played an important role in the manor’s life and castle of Szilvásvárad: the Keglevich, the Erdődy and the Pallavicini families. The Keglevichs have owned the castle for hundreds of years, so many family members with unique personalities have spent time within its walls. Perhaps one of the most famous is Miklós Keglevich, a true daredevil of the time, who even inspired Mór Jókai. After the "reign" of the Keglevichs, it served for a short time as the estate of the Erdődy family, then it was passed to the famous Pallavicini family. The Pallavicini family rebuilt the castle in neo-Baroque style. The head of the family, Margrave Alfonso Pallavicini, was a great admirer of the estate, and it was a place of real splendour during the family's stay there until the Second World War. The current castle hotel commemorates this period in several gestures: some members of the Pallavicini family are evoked in the names of the interiors, and La Contessa means Countess, referring to the rumour that the Margrave Alfonso Pallavicini gave the castle to his wife, Maria Wenckheim, as a wedding present. The Szilvási castle was later nationalised and, like many of its contemporaries, became a holiday resort for the Trade Union National Council. After the regime change, it belonged to the HUNGUEST HOTELS hotel chain, but in this form, it was not very famous. The dingey Szilvásvárad estate was reconstructed by its current owners in 2009 and has since become one of the region's most important tourist destinations. The renovated building, indoor pools, jacuzzis, steam rooms and special gastronomic programmes such as the Archduke's Tea Party are the perfect complement to this unique environment.

Artur Görgey visited picturesque Visegrád for the first time on a spring day, but he did not know how dear this landscape would become to him, and how the last years of his life would be intertwined with the wonderful town in the Danube Bend. Görgey returned to Hungary after a hard decade, but he wanted to stay away from the crowded Budapest, so his brother entrusted him with the care of the estate. He handled the construction of the villa, and during the renovation, he was already behaving like a true local. The locals were very fond of Görgey, as he often visited the small town, but he preferred to spend most of his time on the outskirts of the estate. Count Kálmán Tisza, Kálmán Mikszáth and Mari Jászai also have stayed in the old hunting lodge. The former hunting lodge is now a boutique hotel, but it also bears the legacy of the Görgey era. The hunting lodge has a restaurant and bar where guests can enjoy light meals, drinks and homemade desserts. The villa offers both luxury and homeliness – the size of the property does not put it in the classic castle hotel chain category, but it provides a more welcoming environment. But the services are equally varied: champagne afternoon, massage, barbecue, five-hour tea and Mr Görgey wellness helps you relax, and the more open-minded can even try astrology.

Dating back to the 1700s, the Szidónia Castle Hotel has had an adventurous history, only regaining its imposing appearance decades later. The castle was first owned by the Nagy family of Felsőbük, then the property was passed down through several generations of aristocrats. According to records, the estate has been visited by such notable historical figures as István Széchenyi and one of Europe's most charismatic female monarchs, Maria Theresa. Miksa Berg, a German noble, bought the castle in 1910, and it was then that the new owner completely rebuilt the residence and gave it a new shape. Later, the Hungarian ambassador of the Vatican invested heavily in the castle, using the most modern techniques, and many interesting details were added to the interior of the Szidónia. It was nationalised but fortunately no irreversible damage was done to the building. The Szidónia Castle Hotel was revived on New Year's Eve 2000, when businesswoman Martha Derry bought the property, which was completed in record time. One of the most important goals during the construction was to preserve as many details of the old castle as possible and to make the new addition fit in with the existing building. Constant innovations followed, but all with the aim of harmony, and this is how the swimming pool wing and later the Japanese garden, the outdoor pool and the sports fields were created. Walking through the park can sometimes feel like stepping into a fairy-tale world - a commendable work of the famous landscape architect Mária Brányi, who has brought the gardens to life. Since a change of ownership in 2014, Dr Professor Güntel Nebel has been managing the castle, representing the values of the past to pass on to future generations.