HUNGARY 363Fertőd q
184 km (114 miles) W of Budapest.
* 3,400. £ from Szombathely.
@ from Sopron. n Tourinform,
Joseph Haydn utca 3, (099) 370 544.
_ Haydn Festival (Jun–Sep).The small town of Fertőd
was created in 1950, when
two former estates belonging
to the Esterházy family, Süttör
and Esterháza, were merged.
For three centuries the
Esterházy family was one of
the richest and most powerful
in Hungary. They flou rished
under the Habsburgs, under
whom family members served
in a variety of political and
military offices.
Originally constructed as
a hunt ing lodge in 1720, the
Esterházy Palace is the result
of vast extensions by architect
Melchior Hefel in the 1770s.Magnificent interiors of a bedroom in the Esterházy Palace in FertődThe Neo-Baroque French
gardens were laid out at the
same time, though these were
remodelled along English
ideas of garden design at the
beginning of the 20th century.
The palace is approached
through a grand wrought-
iron entrance gate, with its
Rococo-stone-vase separating
columns. Although the palace
was badly damaged during
World War II, the main ball-
rooms and drawing rooms
have been restored to
their glorious best, filled
with priceless French furni-
ture, Venetian mirrors and
Flemish tapes tries.
Joseph Haydn’s presence
at the palace, from 1766 to
1790, is celebrated by the
annual Haydn Festival, with
concerts showcasing the
Austrian com poser’s work.
The emphasis is on his cham-
ber music, which is per for-
med by out standing musicians
in the Grand Gallery and the
beautiful gardens.
P Esterházy Palace
Joseph Haydn utca 2.
Tel (099) 537 640. # Nov–Mar:
10am–4pm Fri–Sun; Apr–Oct:
10am–6pm daily. & 8 7Győr 0
120 km (74 miles) W of Budapest.
- 125,000. £ from Budapest.
@ from Budapest. n Tourinform,
Árpád utca 32, (096) 311 771. (
daily flower market, Arany János
utca. _ Győr Spring Festival (Mar).
Located halfway between
Budapest and Vienna, where
the Danube, Rába and Rábca
rivers meet, Győr has long
been a place where empires
met, and clashed. During the
Ottoman Wars it became home
to the most impregnable fort-
ress in Hungary. Today it is a
modern, vibrant city, full of
monuments that tell of its
eventful past.
Founded in the 11th century,
Győr Cathedral was rebuilt in
Gothic style between 1257
and 1267; its Baroque interior
dates from after the Ottoman
period, when the altarpieces
and superb frescoes by Franz
Anton Maulbertsch were
added. It houses the remains
of St Laszlo, one of Hungary’s
most sacred relics, and a mira-
culous painting of the Virgin
Mary, one of its most signi-
ficant pilgrimage sites.
The imposing Bishop’s
Palace, next door, saw most
of its fortifications added in
the 16th century, to keep out
the Ottomans. Nearby, the
Diocesan Treasury and Library
and Lapidary houses a trea-
sure trove of manuscripts and
liturgical items, including an
illuminated manuscript once
belonging to King Mátyás.
Up Apaca utca to the
north, the Margit Kovács
Exhibition houses a vast
Győr's Bishop's Palace, built as a
defence against Ottoman invaders
collection of ceramics by
Hungary’s leading 20th-cen-
tury abstract sculptor, while
to the south, Szechényi tér,
once the city’s market place,
is ringed by splendid build-
ings, many of which now
house museums.