The Savoy Castle is an 18th-century Baroque style palace. Construction of the spacious home was begun in 1702 at the commissioning of Prince Eugene of Savoy and finished in approximately 1722. Prince Eugene of Savoy acquired Csepel Island in 1698, and thereafter began the planning process of this 'maison de plaisance'.
Eugene commissioned Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt, a student of the Roman Carlo Fontana, to design the castle. Seven letters from Hildebrandt to the prince remain in the archives of the Gonzaga family in Mantua and evidence planning and construction information about the castle.
The castle has side-wings which were completed in 1714, and the whole construction process was finished around 1720 to 1722. The prince did not reside in Ráckeve mansion after it was finished, and following his death, the estate was appropriated by the Crown.
Under the reign of Maria Theresia of Austria, the mansion and the adjoining land in Csepel was managed by the Hungarian Chancery. In 1814, the middle part of the mansion, along with the stately Baroque cupola, was destroyed by fire; what is seen today was rebuilt after the fire.
Until its reconstruction in the 1980s, the mansion suffered constant decline. The castle has enjoyed renovation and revitalization, and it is now used as a hotel, which is called the Savoyai Mansion Hotel.
References:Considered to be one of the most imposing Roman ruins, Diocletian’s palace is certainly the main attraction of the city of Split. The ruins of palace, built between the late 3rd and the early 4th centuries A.D., can be found throughout the city. Today the remains of the palace are part of the historic core of Split, which in 1979 was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
While it is referred to as a 'palace' because of its intended use as the retirement residence of Diocletian, the term can be misleading as the structure is massive and more resembles a large fortress: about half of it was for Diocletian's personal use, and the rest housed the military garrison.
Architecture
The palace has a form of an irregular rectangle with numerous towers on the western, northern, and eastern facades.