The Esterhzys and their Palace in Eisenstadt, a Baroque masterpiece of Austria
The Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt is the most important residence of the family of the same name, among the oldest Hungarian nobles. Today it is one of the most beautiful Baroque palaces in Austria and through its sumptuous rooms it tells the story of this ancient family.
Between oldest Hungarian noble familiesthe princely branch Frakno of the dynasty Esterházy kicked off with Nikolaus Esterházy (Galanta, 1583 – Großhöflein, 1645). Converting from Calvinism to Catholicism, he was one of the greatest supporters of Catholic reaction in Hungary and laid the foundations for his family’s rapid rise by supporting the cause of the Holy Roman Emperor against the advance of the Turks in Hungary. For the latter the Esterházy house it represented a strong shield against the Turkish advance, as it brought together a considerable number of soldiers under it at its own expense, thus motivating other Hungarian aristocrats to do the same. In 1622 he obtained from the Emperor Ferdinand II of Habsburg the fiefdom of Forchtenstein and the title of count, in addition to the government of the county of Eisenstadt, while in 1625 he was again appointed by the emperor Palatine of the Kingdom of Hungary. Full name of the house was however Esterházy of Galanthafrom the fiefdom of Galanta in Slovakia that the family, whose origins date back to the thirteenth century, had bought in the fifteenth century.
Testimony of the prestigious of the Esterházy dynasty is the Esterházy Palace A.D Eisenstadtcapital of Burgenland not far from Vienna. The Palace is in fact considered the most important family residence, which was acquired by Nikolaus and rebuilt by him. The building, which was built in 1390 on a fortified fortress and then rebuilt in the seventeenth century, is today one of the most beautiful baroque palaces in Austria because of sumptuous and opulent rooms. The baroque renovation of the building was completed in the second half of the seventeenth century (1663 – 1672) thanks to the illustrious son of Nikolaus, Paul I. (Kismarton, 1635 – 1713). Having entered the imperial army, he quickly rose to the rank of field marshal (1665), following the military merits for which he had distinguished himself in the war against the Turks by showing loyalty to the Habsburgs. In 1681 he obtained the title of Count Palatine and in 1687 he was appointed prince of the empire by the emperor Leopold of Habsburg. Paolo I takes care of the enlargement of the building, for which he called the architect Carlo Martino Carlone; a reconstruction that lasted ten years and which he defined the main facade and courtyard as we still see them today. Originally the facade was in gray, white and pink; only in the nineteenth century did it take on its present yellow color. The stucco decoration was carried out by the master Andrea Bertinalli, who also created the stucco grotesques on the main facade and in the courtyard facades. Legends have also arisen around these grotesques according to which artists depict the faces of court officials, who did not pay them and who threw their money in fun, in the grimaces of the grotesques.
Other alterations instead date back to the eighteenth century by the will of the couple Paul II Anton (Eisenstadt, 1711 – Vienna, 1762) e Anna Maria Lunati Viscontiand subsequently Nikola for prince Anton and princeus II: the latter in the nineteenth century was also responsible for the renewal of the garden which, according to the fashion of the time, took the form of an English garden enriched by a temple, ponds, greenhouses and waterfalls.
In addition to the members of the Esterházy family, also a famous Austrian composer, Francesco Giuseppe Haydn (Rohrau, 1732 – Vienna, 1809), one of the leading exponents of Viennese classicism, considered the “father of the symphony” and of the string quartet, he is very attached to the Palazzo. We know that Haydn worked at the Esterházy court for more than forty yearsfrom 1761 to 1803, come choirmaster, composer and conductor, and who found fertile ground for compositions especially under Nikolaus I, who promoted him to the musical direction of all events at the palace. Haydn composes a series of musical works inspired by the prince’s favorite instrument, namely the drone violet. In honor of the prince, Haydn dedicated the Symphony No. 45otherwise come Symphony of farewellssince it was composed when the court was in the summer residence of Esterháza and on that occasion the musicians stopped playing and left the hall leaving only Haydn’s violin and the first violin to continue.
Among the most sumptuous rooms of the Eisenstadt palace, the Haydnsaal, still today one of the most beautiful concert halls in the world, dedicated to the great Austrian composer. Among the best for acoustics (every year it hosts a rich program of concerts, more than a hundred, and since 2017 the Herbstgoldreview that combines classical music, jazz, Balkan music with gastronomy and oenology), the Big room it was built by the will of Paolo Esterházy. The pictorial program of the original large banquet hall ranged from the characters of Adam and Eve to representations of the Esterházy estates, to portraits of Hungarian ancestors and kings, to portraits of Roman emperors. For the ceiling it was planned to depict in large panels the country allegories of Hungary, scenes from the legend of the Hesperides and the fairy tale of Cupid and Psyche, to culminate in Psyche’s acceptance into the sky of the gods.
Only at the end of the eighteenth century the room was modified during the classicist reconstruction of the building. The windows on the garden side have been closed, the doors have been installed, the fountains on the narrow sides of the Aula Magna have been demolished; The wall surfaces of the room have also undergone changes: the 17th century paintings were whitewashed up to the ceiling panels and the court painter Friedrich Rhode was commissioned to execute and hang decorations with festoons of flowers and grisaille medallions on the walls. Also dedicated to Haydn is the Terrena room of the building that houses the permanent exhibition Explosive Haydn. Music from the revolutionary times: to tell the life and work of the great composer, historical autographs, scores, paintings, graphic works and musical instruments are exhibited here, immersed in a contemporary setting, such as the floor covered with a colored carpet by Roy Lichtenstein, the walls covered of wallpaper by Franz West, Verena Dengler and Margit Nobis, and there is no shortage of sound installations. His hammer piano which was given to him by the princess is also visible Maria Josefa Hermenegildeher patron, for which Haydn conceived piano sonatas which she performed directly with the Hammerflügel.
The latter, born Princess Liechtenstein, together with Maria Teresaborn Princess Thurn und Taxis and much courted during the Congress of Vienna, and Lady Sarah Child-Villiers, musical talent that unfortunately disappeared at a young age, are three significant women of the family. They lived in sumptuous rooms, now restored, which today form the interior of the palacePrincess’s apartment. A permanent section of the Palace also tells the story of the princess Melinda Esterházy (Budapest, 1920 – Eisenstadt, 2014): of bourgeois origins, Melinda Otrubay start dancing as a young man to become dancer at the opera in Budapest, and became a princess by marrying the prince Paul V Esterházy. The biographical story of him is told in the Palazzo by the exhibition in five acts Life has given me a lot, which tells the life of the last couple of princes. The couple had no children and therefore Melinda, after the death of her husband Paolo, gave birth to several foundations to maintain the historical and cultural heritage of the Esterházy family.
What was once an important Esterházy residence today is a museum and place of cultural events and manifestations: it preserves the exclusive private collection of the family, including precious porcelain, silverware, high quality works of art, historical furniture. From the porcelain of the Frankenthal manufacture to the largest silver tableware in the world in the Empire style made by the famous Viennese goldsmith Würth, from miniatures to paintings to sculptures.
The Palace is one insight into the glamorous life at the court of the Esterházy princes: by visiting it you have the opportunity to learn about the history of an important noble family that over the centuries was linked to that of the building itself, because it lived there and maintained relationships with characters of the time. Past and present here a continuous dialogue, which makes the Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt a unique and magnificently evocative place.
To find out more about the Esterházy Palace visit the website austria.info
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