(photos: Zsolt)
One of Hungary's wealthiest aristocratic families, the Esterházys had their splendid palace, the 'Hungarian Versailles' built between 1720 and 1766. Today the centre for Hungarian Haydn research is a museum and an important cultural venue.
Apart from the Baroque theatre, the building complex of this resplendent palace has remained intact. Much of the exhibitions in the museum housed here conjure up the building's heyday under Miklós Esterházy Fényes (1762-1790). Rich gold-plated halls, period wall paintings, lacquer plates brought from China, 18th-century furniture with embroidered upholstery and porcelain display the fashion of the period, befitting of a Baroque-Rococo princely court.
The great Austrian composer Joseph Haydn lived and worked here for nearly half of his active period, namely from 1766 until 1790. An exhibition and a room in the palace commemorates him, while concerts held in the summer and the plan for a Haydn Centre are to evoke the spirit of the era.
Palace Museum
Visitors may become familiar with the architectural and interior design characteristic of the 18th-century palaces of the aristocracy. An exhibition introduces the history of the lavish palace and its park, as well as the work of Joseph Haydn (1732-1809).
Among the luxurious furnishings brought from throughout the world, the then fashionable Chinese porcelain is worthy of special mention, along with the French and Flemish gobelin upholstered seating and various items of furniture decorated with marquetry.
The architectural history of the palace and its park is displayed in two rooms along with a collection of original faience ceramic stoves of the palace.
Three rooms house the exhibition introducing the works of Joseph Haydn. In addition to enjoying an opulent lifestyle and entertainment the Esterházy court also played a significant role in the contemporaneous musical life. Thanks to the efforts of Joseph Haydn - who spent the most productive of his creative years in the service of Duke Nicholas - operas, operettas and symphonies were born during this period in Esterháza, now called Fertőd. Thus the Haydn exhibit is a natural part of the palace's history.
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