Gödöllő Palace

The Royal Palace of Gödöllő (German: Schloss Gödöllő, Hungarian: Gödöllői Királyi Kastély) or Grassalkovich Castle is an imperial and royal Hungarian palace located in the municipality of Gödöllő in Pest county, central Hungary. It is famous for being a favourite palace of the penultimate Queen of Hungary.

The palace is one of the most important, largest monuments of Hungarian palace architecture. Its builder, Count Antal Grassalkovich I (1694–1771) was a typical figure of the regrouping Hungarian aristocracy of the 18th century. He was a Royal Septemvir, president of the Hungarian Chamber, and confidant of Empress Maria Theresa (1740–1780). The construction began around 1733, under the direction of András Mayerhoffer (1690–1771) a famous builder from Salzburg who worked in Baroque and Zopf style.

The palace has a double U shape, and is surrounded by an enormous park. The building underwent several enlargements and modifications during the 18th century; its present shape being established in the time of the third generation of the Grassalkovich family. By then the building had 8 wings, and - besides the residential part - it contained a church, a theatre, a riding-hall, a hothouse, a greenhouse for flowers and an orangery.

After the male side of the Grassalkovich family died out in 1841, the palace had several owners, and in 1867 it was bought for the crown. The decision of parliament designated it the resting residence of the King of Hungary. This state lasted until 1918, thus Francis Joseph (1867–1916) and later Charles IV and the royal family spent several months in Gödöllő every year.

During this period the palace became the symbol of independent Hungarian statehood, and, as a residential centre it had a political significance of its own. It was Queen Elisabeth (1837–1898) who specially loved staying in Gödöllő, where the Hungarian personnel and neighbourhood of the palace always warmly welcomed her. She was able to converse fluently in Hungarian. Following her tragic death, a memorial park adjoining the upper-garden was built.

The period of the royal decades also brought their enlargements and modifications. The suites were made more comfortable, and a marble stable and coach house were built. The riding hall was remodelled.

Between the two world wars the palace served as the residence for Regent Miklós Horthy.

Text adapted from “Royal Palace of Gödöllő” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Gödöllő Palace ranks #580 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #7 of the 135 mapped in Hungary. Founded c. 1733, it is older than 20% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 525 atlas entries founded in the 18th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 9,812 times in the last 60 days, more than 92% of the atlas. 8 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Budapest, 25 km away. See how Hungary compares in the castle statistics.

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