Betliar Chateau / Kaštiel Betliar (East Slovakia) - Castles on Waymarking.com

The history of the Betliar Chateau (Kaštiel Betliar) is closely connected with two renown Transylvanian-Hungarian land-holding noble families: the Bebeks and the Andrassys. In the 15th century, the Bebek family laid the foundation for it. Later, at the beginning of the 18th century, it became the residence of the Andrassy family.

The chateau is presenting the housing culture of the nobility of the 18th and 19th century. Originally it was a gothic fortification from the 15th century which was rebuilt several times. The prestige prize EUROPA NOSTRA was the result of the renovation between 1989-1994. The exhibition shows the original inventory of the Hungarian noble family Anrássy: hunting trophies, souvenirs from their journeys and the family gallery. The valuable mobilliary is complemented by the tableware, porcelain, silver and glassware. The imposing interior holds a library with 15 000 of valuable books. The unique collection of awards and medals documents the significant position of the family members in regional history and also in the history of the former Hungary.

History of Betliar Chateau in detail

Beginning of the core of Betliar, today's southern part can be dated to the middle of the 15th century-in the years 1441-1451. It was originally a two-story building with an interior courtyard with five flat-ceiling rooms. A roof enclosed it, which was inclined to the inner courtyard. The exterior walls had loopholes on the ground floor, the enlargements of which are responsible for the present day windows. The exterior fortification was most likely surrounded by a moat. At the end of the 15th century, diagonal towers were built on corners of the structure. In the first half of the 16th century, another two-story structure was build on the north side, turned to face the old structure with the interior court yard, such that it wasn't connected to the old structure. In the years 1532-1540, construction continued with the addition of connecting ramparts. The end 16th century (1557-1565) saw further construction of dwelling purposes. Cloistered arches were built into all the rooms on the first floor in the southern part and similar arches were added to the interior courtyard and in the hallways of the second floor as well. Further stages of construction continued in the beginning of the 18th century, from 1702 to 1712, by Stephen Andrassy and those who followed.

Large-scale alteration of the southern part was carried out at the end of the 18th century (1783-1795). The arches in the hallways were lined with tuft stones in order to resemble a cave-a grotto. In two rooms of the old part on the ground floor and in one row of rooms on the first floor, either classic vault or Czech arches were installed. Some arches were adorned with rich geometric stucco frames. This adjustment led to the widening of the manor house. It acquired a classical facade that was a response to the current trends and was typical of Gemer architecture. Along with this work, the surrounding area was modified as well. In the front part of the park along the left bank of the stream, a stylish rotunda building was built, where the library established by Leopold Andrassy was located. At the end of the 19th century (1880-1886), Betliar underwent complete renovation. In the West Side, a large four-story annex with central staircase was built. Three-story towers were attached to both north-facing corners. They were built to resemble the old towers. A floor was added to the south part, bringing it, as well as the towers, to a height of three stories. Inside, a new courtyard was built on the first floor and a blueprint based on what we can see today was drawn up for the second floor. In keeping with the owners’ cultural standard of living, the function of the building changed, becoming the center of the estate. And as the social position of the family grew, it acquired a more impressive function, which is reflected in the interior as well as the exterior appearance.