Aristocratic Interior Exhibition
The castle’s interior exhibition spans more than twenty rooms, presenting visitors with original or carefully reconstructed spaces that showcase the lifestyle of the Hungarian nobility in the 18th and 19th centuries. Unlike many other Hungarian castles, the building and its furnishings—created by the Festetics family over several construction phases between 1745 and 1887—have largely survived in their original form, allowing for a unique glimpse into the past.
The Festetics family was one of Hungary’s most prominent noble (later princely) families for over two centuries. The furnishings of their Keszthely castle were chosen with great care. The first two generations residing in the castle—Kristóf Festetics and Pál III. Festetics—decorated the Baroque castle, built between 1745 and 1750, with Baroque and Rococo furniture and objects. From this period come the oldest pieces and paintings in the collection. The later reconstruction and expansion of the castle between 1792 and 1804, under György I. Festetics, is reflected in the Neoclassical and Empire-style furniture and decorative items in the collection.
Gallery
The castle took its present form during renovations led by Tasziló II. Festetics between 1883 and 1887. Much of today’s collection is associated with Tasziló and his wife, Lady Mary Hamilton, a Scottish princess. Alongside the architectural and interior redesigns, the range of furnishings was expanded and updated. The Portois & Fix company, responsible for the interior work, restored existing furniture and produced many new pieces for the castle, which now form part of the collection.
According to tradition, Mary Hamilton also brought a trainload of furnishings with her when she married into the family and moved to Keszthely. These objects had a strong influence on the castle’s interiors. She brought mainly French Rococo and Neoclassical furniture, as well as English Neoclassical pieces. Some of these may have been inherited from her paternal grandmother, Susan Beckford, daughter of the famous English art collector William Thomas Beckford, and others through her maternal grandmother, Stéphanie de Beauharnais, Napoleon’s adopted daughter. In addition to furniture, portraits of Mary’s family—the Hamilton and Badeni families—adorned the rooms with paintings and sculptures, many of which are still on display. Tasziló and Mary further enriched the castle with additional artworks, including their own portraits and paintings of the family’s horses, enhancing the collection even further.
Gallery
Among the exhibition rooms, the most remarkable—and the castle’s greatest treasure—is Hungary’s only fully preserved private noble library. To house the books the family had collected from the very beginning, György I. Festetics commissioned a vast library room between 1799 and 1801. The collection, comprising more than 86,000 volumes, includes many rare items. The oldest book is Chronica Hungarorum by János Thuróczy, dating from 1488. The library’s original Neoclassical furnishings are also of great historical value.
Equally noteworthy are the rooms that were sealed off along with the library at the end of World War II and have survived intact. Their interiors, dating from the 1880s, feature coffered ceilings, wall paneling, and fireplace frames crafted from Slavonian oak, providing a fitting backdrop for the artworks.
The oak staircase is another highlight, featuring Hungary’s only original family portrait gallery. The portraits include the most significant members of the Festetics family. Visitors will also discover other exceptional rooms: the marble and marble-patterned chapel, richly furnished salons displaying many original objects, and the mirror hall, decorated with grand mirrors and gilded stuccoes.
The average duration of viewing the exhibition is approximately 30 minutes.