Helyszín címkék:
Royal chocolate hidden in a table and violet ice cream in Gödöllő
Szabó Sára
Queen Elisabeth's favourite castle in Hungary is located in Gödöllő, just 30 kilometres from the capital. The baroque palace, built by Antal Grassalkovich I, became known as the royal residence of Franz Joseph I and Sisi, and preserves many relics from the life of the royal family. But before we unveil these treasures of the past century, let us first remember the life of one of Hungary's most beloved queens and her relationship with Gödöllő.
Elisabeth Wittelsbach, i.e., Queen Sisi, was born in Munich in 1837. She had a carefree childhood, free of obligations; in her spare time, she enjoyed climbing mountains, swimming and horse riding. She was only 16 years old when she met the Emperor of Austria, Franz Joseph I. It could be said that they fell in love at first sight. Although she was hardly involved in political life, Queen Elizabeth was particularly sympathetic to the Hungarians. She studied the language with perseverance and corresponded with Hungarian liberals and, among other things, it was thanks to this that the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy was established. In 1867, Franz Joseph I was crowned King of Hungary and Elizabeth was crowned Queen of Hungary, and the royal family received the Gödöllő castle as a coronation gift from the Hungarian government. For the Queen, who was unhappy and lonely in Vienna, the Gödöllő Castle was an escape, a suitable place for all her pleasures. The imposing building was the scene of numerous greyhound races, pigeon-shooting, horse races and hunts, but the Queen often hosted gypsy bands in the castle, as she was very fond of gypsy music.
The Queen spent a total of 2,663 days, i.e. 7.3 years, in Hungary - of which around 2,000 days were in Buda and Gödöllő. She was last here between 2 and 24 October, 1897.
After the queen died in 1898, the king visited Gödöllő less and less often - but the memories remained. About 40 monuments, 100 memorial parks and groves were created in honour of Queen Elizabeth in Hungary. Of all these, the Gödöllő park was among the first to be inaugurated in 1901, together with the full-length statue of the queen. If you are a true Sisi fan or just like history, then Gödöllő is a great destination, as this town, and within it the Gödöllő castle, is still the number one centre of the Sisi cult.
Relics from the life of the royal family
Few people know that Franz Joseph I kept prunes and chocolate in his desk drawer. In addition to his secret passion, the king loved to participate in hunting, of which an impressive painting was also made. Those interested can see the picture in the suite of Ida Ferenczy, the Hungarian lectrice.
One of Queen Elizabeth's favourite flowers was the violet. She loved its taste, smell and colour too. Her suite – which was reconstructed in 1996 on the basis of authentic sources – is therefore resplendent in wonderful shades of purple. But not only the colour of the furniture reflects the queen's passion for violets; his favourite was the violet ice cream, which you can try at Café Ida in the castle!
Another interesting fact is that the queen travelled with up to 4-5 dogs at the same time. The graves of her two favourite four-legged friends, Shadow and Plato, can be found in the front garden, which is an exceptional sight in the castle. You can get to the front garden, which of course was always full of violets, through the queen's wooden veranda. It is worth lingering here: this part of the castle garden was declared a nature conservation area in 1998.
One of Queen Elizabeth's favourite sports was horse riding, and in order to indulge in her favourite leisure activity, the riding stables in the southern part of the castle were significantly remodelled and enlarged at the Queen's request. A circular manege was created, a marble fireplace was added to the parapet, and the corridor was decorated with wrought-iron columns. The building, renovated inside and out, has served as a venue for conferences, exhibitions, discussions and negotiations over the past decade. The riding stables and stables can be viewed with a guided tour. The riding-hall and stables are open to the public with guided tours.
If you want to find out what life was like in the royal family, you can visit the residence as a "guest of her majesty" during the programme of the Gödöllő Royal Castle called Experience Walk with Queen Elizabeth. During the guided tour, among others, you can learn secrets such as how heavy her coronation dress was, how long it took to make her hairstyle, or what her relationship with Gyula Andrássy and Ferenc Deák was like.
