Dear Guests, Welcome to Bojnice Castle!
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Dear guests, welcome to Bojnice Castle! The sightseeing tour begins in the first courtyard at the time indicated on the ticket. Interior sightseeing of the Castle is possible with guided tours only. First room - history of Bojnice Castle. Bojnice Castle is one of the oldest and most significant monuments in Slovakia. Originally a wooden castle that stood on a travertine hill above the town, it was first mentioned in 1113. It was built in stone by the Hont-Poznan family in the 13th century. Since the castle was always in royal possession, it was given to nobles only. Generations of nobility took turns at ruling Bojnice starting with Hont - Poznan, Matúš Čák Trenčiansky, Gileth, Leustach, Noffry, Zapolsky, King Matej Korvín, Thurzo, Pallfy until the last castle owner Jan Pallfy. King Matej Korvín gave the castle to his illegitimate son Johann Korvín in 1489. Legend has it that King Matej loved spending time under the common lime tree, which can be admired outside the entrance to the castle. He would beginn to dictate his documents with "Sub nostris dilectis tiliis bojniciensibus", which translated means "under our beloved lime tree". From 1637 the castle belonged to the last noble family, the Pálffys. Under their ruling, the castle was rebuilt in various styles - gothic, renaissance and baroque. The last Neo-Gothic reconstruction was carried out according to the models of French castles on the river Loire and lasted 22 years. This reconstruction, which was supervised by Count Pallfy himself gave the castle its present appearance. Unfortunately, Count Pálffy did not live to see its completion. The Castle has belonged to the Slovak National Museum since 1950. Furthermore, you can see portraits of members of the Pálffy family here. There is a painting of the first owner of the castle on the left, Pavol Pálffy and his wife Countess Franziska Khuen Pállfy. On the right, there is a portrait of the Hungarian palatine and imperial general John Pálffy who was also the great grandfather of the last aristocratic owner count John Francis Pálffy. The small picture on the stand shows the way the castle looked before the last reconstruction. An Italian Renaissance chest of drawers dates from the second half of the 15th century and it is the oldest piece of furniture in our collection. When entering the second room, there is a portrait of Emanuel Andrássy. He was the husband of Count's sister Gabriela. Opposite, there is a portrait of Karol Hieronyms Palffy, who belonged to the Malacky descent of the family. There are two portraits between the windows. On the left, you can see palatine Juraj Thurzo and Francis II. Rakoczy, leader of the greatest uprising in Hungary. In the corner, there is a green stove with figural motifs from the late 19th century. In the Pentagonal Tower, the jewels of our collections can be seen together with the collections of Palffy. Woven gothic tapestries are the oldest textile in Central Europe. Larger curtains were made by technical stitching in the 19th century. The statues include: Virgin Mary under cross, Saint John Apostle and God the Father from the coronation of the Virgin Mary group. Other sculptures come from the workshop of the master from Pukanec, all others are works of Central European craftsmen. The winter garden was used to store plants in the winter months, as it was one of the warmest rooms. Air holes in the floor under the windows supplied heat. The only air holes that exist today are located next to the baroque cupboard (Poland - Gdansk, 1700). The room was also used to play cards, chess or tivoli games. There is a large tripple portrait of Marie Antoinette, her husband, the French king, Louis XVI. and her brother Maximilian from Habsburg, painted by Johann Carl Auerbach in the 18th century. On the right, there is a portrait of Maria Theresia and her husband Franz Stephan from Lothringer. At the end of the room you can admire a 17th-century Haban tile stove which was operated from the room behind in order not to disturb men at play. The lining of the walls and the ceiling in the gallery is made of walnut wood. The vitragen fragments were bought by Count Pálffy in Paris in 1902. The astronomical globe between the windows was made in London in 1800. The paintings by European painters date back to the 16th - 19th century. The largest painting above the fireplace by Herman Kaulbach is called "to All Souls". The oldest painting is the small picture between the windows on the right named „worshiping of shepards“ by Innocenzo da Imola from the 16th century. The painting to the left of the door in the golden frame is a copy of the original by Francesca Trevissani and is called "The dead Christ carried by angels". From the original furnishings of the dining room only the fireplace has been retained with its colored grid that was made by the Viennese master Heim. The furniture dates to the 18th century. The big clock in the corner of the room is from the 18th century. Apart from seconds, minutes and hours, it also showed the days, months, the symbols of the zodiac and the phases of the moon. On the small table you can see the oldest clock in our collection (17th century). The largest painting in the room depicts the Adoration of the Three Kings and was painted by the Flemish painter, Abraham Jansen in the 17th century. The Oriental room was used by Count Pálffy as a study. The walls which were carved out of cedar wood and called dolaf, became old turkish trim, were paneled and gilded, from the 17th century. The surface consists of 99 calligraphic scriptures prainsing Allah. The vases come from China and Japan. The oldest is the blue-enameled vase under the mirror, which dates back to the 16th century. The terracotta relief Madonna and Child is from Italy (15th century) from the circle of Benedetta de Majana. The original furniture from the bedroom of the last owner was not preserved. The room is dominated by two large golden, gilded beds with rich carvings. There is a painting of Saint Barbara above the fireplace by Pompei Girolamo Batoni from the 18th century. Below the painting you can see a French figurine clock with a young man reading. The marble statue of Venus on the console table is a copy of the original by Antonio Canova. The Rococo mirror dates back to the 18th century. The room of brides shows the visitors the moments in which the bride prepares for her wedding. Caroline, a lady from the Zay family can be seen in her wedding dress. The portrait was painted by Ernest Lafitte in the first half of the 19th century. The dress on the frame, the jewelry, the neck pearls and the hair diadem match the picture. In addition to the dress you can see the former type of underwear. There is a painting of other members of the Zay family, Carl and his wife between the windows. The Golden room is the most famous one in the castle. Its ceiling is cut from pine wood and decorated with gold leaf. 183 angel faces look down on us from the ceiling, each one has a different expression. In the middle of the ceiling there is a medallion with an angel depicting the Pálffy`s crest with a deer and a broken wheel. The inscription on the ribbon around the medallion means in translation: "everything at its time." The two large paintings on the wall between the windows are the works of Václav Božík. On the opposite side there are paintings from the 17th century. The table dates back to around 1850 and is decorated with inlay. Nowadays weddings take place here. The oldest steps of the castle which were hacked directly into the travertine rock on which the castle stands take you to the fourth courtyard. There is a well in the middle that is 26 meters deep and probably the crater of an old thermal spring. The grid was made by blacksmith artists Marton and Son in Bratislava. The middle Castle First floor - Blue room was named after the mural depicting half figures of Hungarian kings, queens, knights and noblemen. In the ceiling with 144 gilded stars there are three crests of the most important owners of the castle- that of the Pállfys (deer and broken wheel), King Matej Korvín (raven and crescent), the Thurzos (four fields). The three dog statues on the railing symbolize individual human traits. From the left: the joker, the intelligent and the speculator. As part of the Blue Salon, there is a wall bed for resting. From the hall you can see the bathroom, a sink and a mirror, which belong to the original furniture of the Count. The large hall consists of a bedroom and a living room. The bed is 235 cm long and elevated because of the cold coming from the ground. There are two smaller chests, which show the way the castle looked during the last remodeling. On the walls there is a fabric wallpaper in Tyrolean Gothic style. The only painting in this room is “Madonna in green" and it is a copy of the original painted by Rafael Santi. In the preparation room, the food was transported by a mechanical elevator, which was located behind the closed door. The kitchen was on the ground floor. The dishes and jugs were made in Germany in 1900. You can look from the preparation room into the Marble Hall, where the floor is made from yellow and black marble in the form of fish scales.