Wenckheim-kastély (Szabadkígyós)

The Wenckheim Castle in Szabadkígyós is considered by many to be the most magnificent castle in the Great Plain. Situated 10 kilometres from Békéscsaba and just 15 kilometres from Gyula, the imposing building, the style of which is predominantly German neo-Renaissance, looks like a fairytale castle with its towers and loggia terrace. Legend has it that the Count Frigyes Wenckheim and his wife, Krisztina Wenckheim, wanted the castle to have as many rooms as there are weeks in a year and as many windows as there are days in a year. (Some of these overlook the Baroque-style French garden of moulded buxus bushes and yew trees, others the romantic English garden with its man-made lake and bridges.) It is also worth visiting the museum in the castle, which has an exhibition entitled “Visiting the Wenckheims”.