Now the home to Slovakia's President, Grassalkovich Palace was once the home and meeting place for several members of the Austro-Hungarian and Habsburg aristocracy.
Grassalkovich Palace was built in the 1760's by Count Anton Grassalkovich, the President of the Royal Hungarian Chamber and advisor to the Empress Maria Theresia. It is said that the inventor Wolfgang von Kempelen introduced several of his inventions, including a speaking machine, in the palace's State Rooms.