THE LIBRARY OF THE FESTETICS PALACE

The greatest treasure of the Festetics Palace in Keszthely is the former library of the Festetics family. It is one of Hungary’s most beautiful historic libraries and the only surviving aristocratic private library with its original collection and furnishings intact.

The library, with a history of more than 250 years, was founded by the first Festetics of Keszthely, Kristóf Festetics, who established a “book house,” or library room, in his palace built between 1745 and 1750. His mainly legal, political, and historical books were stored in two built-in wall cabinets.

His son, Pál III Festetics, significantly expanded the collection and employed a professional librarian to manage it. He invested heavily in collecting engravings and laid the foundations of the newspaper and periodical collection. However, the core of the collection was assembled by his son, György I Festetics, who had the library wing constructed and furnished between 1799 and 1801. The richly decorated library hall was crafted by János Kerbl, a carpenter from Keszthely. The Classicist-style bookshelves and gallery were made of Slavonian oak.

György I Festetics expanded the library—originally consisting of only a few thousand volumes—with works of Hungarian literature and science, Enlightenment-era philosophical writings, economic treatises, and a significant collection of newspapers and journals. During his time, the collection increased fivefold. He was among the first to open his library to the public, making it accessible to the professors and students of the Georgikon. He also regulated its use and had the invaluable books bound in artistically decorated leather.

By the time of World War II, the collection had grown to 50,000 volumes. It was the largest aristocratic private library in Hungary and the only one that did not suffer damage during the war. Its survival is due to the fact that after Soviet troops occupied Keszthely on March 30, 1945, the Soviet city commander—at the request of the Festetics family’s employees—had the library and several adjacent rooms walled up. As a result, the library hall and its treasures were spared from looting. The only damage was caused by a shell that struck through a window, destroying the writing desk in the center of the room and leaving marks on about 30 books from the shrapnel. In 1948, the library became state property and came under the management of the National Széchényi Library; it was then given the name Helikon in memory of the literary gatherings organized by György I Festetics.

In keeping with its museum character, the library has preserved the subject classification system introduced by György I Festetics, as well as the Latin shelf markings, which can still be seen on the boards above the shelves. Today, the collection—including special collections—exceeds 86,000 items.

The library’s holdings are linguistically highly diverse, containing documents in 30 different languages. The oldest book in the collection is the Latin-language Chronica Hungarorum by János Thuróczy from 1488. The collection also includes the New Testament translated by János Sylvester from 1541, the first complete Hungarian-language edition of the New Testament.

The library not only offers an experience for visitors but also provides conditions for scholarly research. The books may be used for on-site reading with a researcher’s permit; borrowing is not permitted. The research rooms are open Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 16:00. Library services can be used with a research ticket available at the ticket office.

Research ticket:
Student: 750 HUF / person / day
Adult: 1500 HUF / person / day

Advance registration is required: orsolya.odor@nof.hu

In addition to the card catalog, researchers can also use the library’s electronic (online) catalog: CLICK HERE