Hungary's Sumptuous Esterházy Palace Photo Gallery by Helen Betts at pbase.com

Hungary's Sumptuous Esterházy Palace

Built in 1720 as a hunting lodge, Esterházy Palace was expanded to enormous proportions in 1770. It was severely damaged in World War II and is currently undergoing restoration, so not a lot of it was open, but what was, was gorgeous. (It has 126 rooms; we have seen around 27 of them.) It was built by the Esterházy family, one of the richest and most powerful in Hungary for three centuries. Joseph Haydn lived here from 1766 to 1790. The palace had two opera houses, one which seated 400, where Haydn conducted performances of his work. It's located in the present-day town of Fertőd, close to Lake Fertő, shared by both Hungary and Austria.

For more information on the palace go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eszterháza and for an excellent image showing the size of the palace in 1730 see http://www.esterhazy-palace.com/en/history/the_esterhazy_family.html

NOTE: NEWEST PICTURES FROM MOST RECENT VISIT (October 2012) ARE AT THE END OF THE GALLERY.

Esterházy Palace, front gate	Front gate detail	Front gate detail	Palace, front view
Palace wing, one of many	Roof décor	Esterházy family crest	Fountain
Prince Esterházy's apartment	Prince's apartment, ceiling decoration	Prince's apartment, wall decoration	The stove of stoves
Prince's apartment, salon	Providing warmth in the music room	Music room tableau	Portrait of Maria Theresa
Chapel, above the altar	Chapel ceiling	Ceremonial hall	Ceremonial hall
Ceremonial hall, ceiling detail	Ceremonial hall, ceiling detail	Ceremonial hall, door décor	Ceremonial hall, mirroring infinity
Elegant heating	Wall detail	Stately room	Tea room tapestry and stove
Grand bedroom	Chinese room	Floral detail	Flower fresco
In the back gate	Palace rear, detail	Palace rear, April 2010	Palace rear, March 2012
The gardens, as far as the eye can see	Return to Esterházy: Concert hall	Concert hall, looking into Ceremonial Hall	Concert hall detail
Altar at an angle	Ceremonial hall, revisited	Ceremonial hall, revisited: Mirrored	Elegant hardware
Under restoration: Sala Terrena	Work in progress	Work further along on this side	Artists at work in Sala Terrana
Sala Terrana wall detail	Sala Terrana, ceiling detail	Flowered fresco	Window detail
Opulent stove in the dining salon	Bedroom in green	Music salon	Salon with gaming table
Front staircase, detail	From the crest	Palace reflections	Key to the castle
Third visit: concert hall	Concert hall sconce	Concert ready	Concert lighting
Ceremonial Hall	Ceremonial Hall, the seasons	Ceremonial Hall, the seasons	Reflections in reflections
Sala Terrana, restoration complete	Sala Terrana, restoration complete	Sala Terrana, restoration complete	Sala Terrana, restoration complete
Sala Terrana, restoration complete	Sala Terrana, restoration complete

A.G. Arao / noyphoto		09-Apr-2013 02:02
Magnificent palace, and an equally magnificent gallery. Terrific photos. Excellent documentary coverage. Fascinating. Absolutely well done! -V-

Gervan		29-Nov-2012 17:04
It is a pleasure to look around in this magnificent gallery.v.

Aivar Mikko		07-Nov-2012 18:18
Excellent collection from this palace!

woody34		02-Nov-2012 21:05
A magnificent place, beautifully documented..V

Sandy Rich		30-Oct-2012 14:23
You so beautifully portray the craftmanship that went into this marvelous palace. To think that we sometimes no longer have the want or desire to build these marvelous places in today's world.

ac		28-Oct-2012 12:00
Beautiful gallery and subject.

joseantonio		27-Oct-2012 09:56
Thank you for showing us this beauty....v.

danad		27-Oct-2012 09:53
A very interesting visit and a very fine work .V.

Nirvan Hope		30-Aug-2012 05:00
Exquisite architectural details so well portrayed!

Marc Demoulin		23-Mar-2012 14:08
An impressive place and great document! vVv Marc

malcolm haslam		23-Mar-2012 08:16
:-)

Colin Storey		21-Mar-2012 17:25
Excellent gallery from this palace, great collection of well composed images. v

zonedout		21-Mar-2012 12:25
Beautiful, Helen! Thank you, V V ...z

Jean-Luc Rollier		20-Mar-2012 23:11
Magnifique collection! JL Vote

Mairéad		20-Mar-2012 22:50
A great gallery showcasing the restoration of this wonderful palace, full of beautiful pictures and information. V

Ali Majdfar		20-Mar-2012 16:28
You've shown the details in the best way, Great work! ~V

Agi Gilanyi		19-Mar-2012 13:03
This is a beautiful gallery in my country. Thank you, Agi

William Barletta		18-Mar-2012 19:21
Great documentary on this sumptuous palace. ~V~

Alexander Kazakov		18-Mar-2012 11:58
Great gallery! V

Alain Boussac		17-Mar-2012 21:09
So many things to see and admire, all of an exquisite taste. Fascinating gallery of excellent images. A great pleasure to visit, Helen. BV.

Franz Bauer		17-Mar-2012 20:32
Gorgeous photos and a splendid promotion for the one or other who is intending to go there !

Walter Otto Koenig		17-Mar-2012 15:54
A fascinating gallery with many interesting and well taken photos. The details shown here are just fantastic. Truly a beautiful place I would like to visit one day. "V"

Michel Duval		17-Mar-2012 14:01
Excellent shots of this fantastic palace. V

J S Quesada		16-Mar-2012 20:05
Fantastic gallery. Thank you for this wonderful photographic tour. V

John Hamers		16-Mar-2012 11:39
Great gallery Helen !!, especially the images of the ceremonial hall are truly beautiful !! V

Jeff Real		15-Mar-2012 23:28
I love this wonderful tour I am taking through your eyes ~V~

Tom LeRoy		15-Mar-2012 19:29
Magazine quality images of this grand palace !V!

Guest		15-Mar-2012 06:16
This is a superb gallery, great detail, wonderful lighting and interesting compositions....each one a work of art!

Stephanie		13-Mar-2012 13:05
This is a gorgeous gallery Helen!!! I love how you do such a wonderful job sharing the important sights of Hungary with us! BV :)

Zoltán Balogh		12-Mar-2012 13:28
A wonderful example of your promoting my country's beautiful places Helen! Hats off, I can't wait to see more and more! I am especially glad you were in Fertőd in such beautiful sunshine!:) V

Buba Jafarli		11-Mar-2012 20:04
You are doing a great job, Helen! It's so nice that we can travel together with you and see all this beauty through your lens! V.

click on thumbnails for full image