Festetics Mansion (Helikon Castle museum)

General Information

Tel.: +36/83/314-194
Open:
1 July – 31 August
9 am – 6 pm
from Monday to Sunday
+ Wednesdays: 8 pm – 11 pm
1 – 30 September
10 am – 5 pm
from Monday to Sunday
1 October – 30 April
10 am – 5 pm
from Tuesday to Sunday
1 May – 30 June
10 am – 5 pm
from Monday to Sunday

Admission fee 2019 CLICK!

Curiosities

In the blazon of the Festetics –and of the town of Keszthely –a crane is seen holding a stone in its upraised leg. This watch crane is the symbol of alertness. According to the descriptions of Physiologus which was a medieval religious symbolic widely spread natural historical work one of the night watch cranes holding a stone with its leg in case of any threat warns the others with dropping the stone.

This beautiful building in Baroque style is the third biggest castle of Hungary, Symbol of Keszthely.

History of Festetics Castle

Kristóf Festetics started to build the castle on the basis of Kristóf Hofstädter’s drawing who was the first master mason of the domain for three decades. The first big reconstruction was done in 1769 and it was Pál Festetics who had this work done. His son, György Festetics also had the castle reconstructed in 1792. Its present day appearance was given by II. Tasziló count between 1883 and 1887. In the reconstructed castle there were altogether 101 rooms which were needed to place countess Maria Hamilton Douglas’s train load quantity furnishings

The library room of Festetics castle

The library room of Festetics Castle is the most commanding gallery found in the southern wing was finished by 1801. The library room is the treasury of encyclopaedias collected by the Festetics, engravings, belletristic literature from the enlightment period, technical books and scientific journals. The holdings of the library are preceding 90000 volumes- among them we can find more curiosities some of which pieces are well known all over the world.

Concert hall and park

The other beautiful gallery of the castle is the used to be dining room which is today the venue of famous concerts, opera concerts or not less famous weddings. As the marvellous castle park –or the amusement park – where walkers found good air and pleasant imperturbability in the end of XVIII century – it gives the same serenity for people today.

Exhibitions in the castle

The castle gives pace for more exhibitions. In the Coach Museum which used to be a coach garage and stable –watching the beautifully restored spider-carts, sledges, decorated coaches we have to wonder about what was meant that time on horsepower… One of the biggest , more than 500 m2 layout of Europe making heart throb for young and old as well is seen in the mansard of the new museum. The fans of padded animals can admire the trophy collection of Windischgrätz-, Széchenyi-and Kittenberger in a separate exhibition hall