The buffalo-headed count, or a walk in the castle of Körmend

The elephant-eared metal-and-glass doors that can still be seen here and there on old-fashioned grocery stores and schools undergoing renovation suggest that the former aristocratic mansion has not been preserved in its original state. As concerns its origin, we know that it was built as a Renaissance castle, and, in the early 17th century, it became the property of the Batthyány family, who expanded, modernized and rebuilt it for centuries, always according to the tastes and expectations of the time. In 1945, the invading Russian troops not only moved in, but unfortunately destroyed the furnishings and the Batthyány family’s significant collection of weapons, artifacts and library. The large contemporary painting of Maria Theresa next to the grand staircase only survived intact because the local interpreter for the Russian troops thought he could save the painting from destruction by claiming that: It depicts Tsarina Catherine the Great. It is true that the Danube flows in the background and Bratislava Castle is visible, too, but this is probably the reason why the picture could remain in its original position. Later on, the main building was used as a dormitory, students moved into the stately walls and the former castle chapel was fitted with an eighties disco ball. Then, the castle was placed under protection – and with it, was also pardoned – and today houses some of the most exciting exhibition spaces in the area. The castle was originally surrounded by a Baroque garden, then by an English park in the fashion of the 19th century. This area is now known as the Castle Garden, where, among the plant rarities, you can find a 400-year-old, 35-metre tall ancient sycamore tree.

Volumes can be filled with the history of the Batthyány family: the exhibition titled “The Family of the Batthyánys”, which opens in the main building’s vast rococo hall, also focuses on the prominent figures of the historic family. On the walls, you can see figures dressed in fancy clothes, perhaps the most striking of which is the portrait of the 17th-century “buffalo-headed count”, Ádám Battyhány. A nobleman with a large skull – he had a reputation as a famous patriot and fighter with the Turkish invaders, but he also set records not only in military deeds but also in wine drinking. His large and impetuous nature was the opposite of that of Prince László Batthyány-Strattmann, who lived within the walls of the castle in the first half of the twentieth century, and established his famous eye clinic here, where he not only treated the needy free of charge, but also reimbursed their travel expenses, spending a significant part of his estate on the treatment of his patients. He was beatified by John Paul II in 2003. Related relics of Lajos Battyhány, the first Hungarian Prime Minister, can be seen in a special room within the exhibition.

The castle preserves not only the history of the Batthyány family, but also the history of the town, starting from the earliest times. The tools and guild symbols of industrialists of the town of Körmend: butchers, gingerbread makers, blue painters, brush makers, blacksmiths and tailors are on display in the Industrial and Technical History Collection. Among the historic pieces are two velocipedes on which the Udvardy brothers travelled to Paris in 17 days in 1889. While they were there, on their way home they stopped – also by velocipede – at Lajos Kossuth in Turin. They also became the founders of the Iron Horse Association of Körmend, which still exists today, and of the local cycling traditions.

You can see a variety of objects in the exhibition of leatherworking relics. We can find out that the Szeged slippers, which is considered to be a typically Hungarian footwear, is of Turkish origin, and that the boots were originally made to fit the same: they had no right or left foot side. You can admire Queen Elizabeth’s, or Sisi’s, high-heeled but extremely graceful and incredibly narrow footwear, which the museum acquired through her Hungarian lady’s companion. The queen was notorious for squeezing herself for beauty: she had her feet bandaged to keep them narrow, like the noble Chinese ladies whose display case lotus shoes would not fit even on a small child’s feet. Exotic pieces in the collection include the high-soled, inlaid wooden slippers used in oriental baths, or hamams, the Indian moccasin and the Dutch clog. The tools and the foot-powered sewing machine of the master shoemaker’s workshop in Körmend are also guild relics of shoemaking. This is a unique collection of shoe history.