Rákóczi Castle, Sárospatak, Hungary

The oldest part of the Rákóczi castle, the five-storey Red Tower, dates from the late 15th century – inside you’ll find period rooms in excellent condition. Note that this can only be visited by guided tour.

The Renaissance-style Palace Wing, connected to the Red Tower by a 17th-century loggia called the Lorántffy Gallery , was built in the 16th century and later enlarged by its most famous owners, the Rákóczi family of Transylvania. Today, along with some 19th-century additions, it contains the Rákóczi Exhibition, devoted to the 1703–11 uprising and the castle’s later occupants. Bedrooms and dining halls overflow with furniture, tapestries, porcelain and glass. Of special interest is the small five-windowed bay room on the 1st floor near the Knights’ Hall , with its stucco rose in the middle of a vaulted ceiling.

References:

Lonely Planet

User Reviews

Catalin Adc (2 years ago)
A nice fortified castle to see. A big garden to take quite nice photos. Take a tour also in the museum

Marian Harustak (2 years ago)
Castle average (but not bad). One extra star for the guide who when she found we don't speak Hungarian turned to our language in each room to tell us at least limited description. Very kind.

Grzegorz Antoszek (2 years ago)
One of the most interesting medieval castles I've ever been

Julianna Grant (2 years ago)
Lovingly restored unoressuve renaissance castle with lots of exhibitions and re-enactions. My one grouse would be that they tend to slightly over-restore ancient buildings in Hungary, so they often lose their romantic appeal. However, marvellous outing with children or just for history buffs from anywhere.

Balint Kreknyak (2 years ago)
It's a unique museum about the post middle age and the ages of French revolution.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright oxfordblues84

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The famous Italian Medici family have given two queens to France: Catherine, the spouse of Henry II, and Marie, widow of Henry IV, who built the current Luxembourg palace. Maria di Medici had never been happy at the Louvre, still semi-medieval, where the fickle king, did not hesitate to receive his mistresses. The death of Henry IV, assassinated in 1610, left the way open for Marie's project. When she became regent, she was able to give special attention to the construction of an imposing modern residence that would be reminiscent of the Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens in Florence, where she grew up. The development of the 25-hectare park, which was to serve as a jewel-case for the palace, began immediately.

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