Castle Museum of Esztergom

The Castle Museum is a branch of the Hungarian National Museum, located at 1 Szent István Square at the southern point of the bastion system of the Esztergom Castle. It presents the preserved rooms of the excavated royal palace, and from the exhibition set up in the palace halls the history and past of Esztergom Castle can be learned. The remains of the palace of the Árpád dynasty kings and later of the archbishops of Esztergom are located on the southern part of the Castle Hill. In 2008 it had 101 thousand visitors.

History

During the reign of Prince Géza and his son, King Saint Stephen, the Castle became the most important seat, and when the church organization was formed the archbishop’s seat also became the Esztergom Castle. King Stephen founded a cathedral in honor of Saint Adalbert. King Andrew renounced the castle for the benefit of the archbishop, and at that time Esztergom transformed from a royal seat into an archiepiscopal city. Béla IV moved the royal seat from Esztergom to Buda. After the extinction of the Árpád house, the succession wars caused much suffering to the castle. Archbishops Csanád Telegdi, Dénes Szécsi, János Vitéz, as well as Hyppolit, Tamás Bakócz and György Szathmáry are associated with major renovations and constructions. After the disaster of Mohács, fortification works became increasingly important. The Turks, and later the kurucs, captured the castle several times. In 1761 Maria Theresa returned the castle to Archbishop Ferenc Barkóczy. The museum was open to visitors before the Second World War, and since 1971 it has been under the administration of the Hungarian National Museum.

The Castle Museum Halls

The Hungarian National Museum’s Esztergom Castle Museum welcomes visitors with permanent and temporary exhibitions. The museum’s collection area covers the Castle Hill and its immediate surroundings. The permanent exhibition is the exhibition titled “The History of Esztergom Castle” presented in several rooms.

First hall: The archaeological remains of the Castle Hill and its immediate surroundings from before the era of the migrations can be seen in the 15th‑century vaulted hall. Archaeological finds dating from 18–20 thousand years ago.

Second hall: Finds from the area around Esztergom dating from the era of the migrations and the conquest of the homeland are displayed. A collection of 11th‑century coins minted in Esztergom.

Third hall: The column capitals that survived from the 11th–12th‑century St. Adalbert Cathedral can be viewed. The hall itself is the remaining kitchen of the archbishop’s palace. Here is the Porta speciosa.

Fourth hall: In the corners of the hall stone carvings from the palace, and in a small wall niche 12th‑century coins, arm rings, and bronze crosses can be seen.

Fifth hall: The so‑called “St. Stephen Hall”, the only completely intact 12th‑century residential room of the royal palace. For a long time it was believed that Vajk was born here. From the residential room a fantastic view opens onto the Water Town stretching below the castle. From here a narrow staircase leads to the residential tower floor.

Sixth hall: The progress of the excavations is shown by a colourful fresco by Ferenc Deéd (Dex) and photographs by István Petrás.

Seventh hall: residential room, Archbishop János Vitéz’s study, actually a fragment of an old hall. The once‑brightly coloured frescoes gave this room the name Studioló, i.e., Study, where the magnanimous humanist owner retired or received a scholarly circle. The wall is decorated with a huge portrait of the four principal virtues. The frescoes are from the 15th century; according to some assumptions the figure of Temperance was painted by Sandro Botticelli. The space is divided by a single strap arch, the Zodiac arch, and in two fields a Roman cross vault covers it. Fragments of the vault are still visible today, although not in their original position.

Castle chapel: built in late Romanesque, early Gothic style, with many 12th‑century fresco remnants. Above the western door of the hall is the rose window that has become Esztergom’s symbol today. From here a staircase leads down to the courtyard, where Ottoman‑era tombstones are exhibited.

The Castle Museum has 4 permanent exhibitions: Centuries of Esztergom, Decorative Weapons from the MNM collection, Chapters of the history of Hungarian coinage and the Stone Archive (Lapidarium), where one can see one of Hungary’s richest Romanesque and early Gothic carved stone collections, with sections made in the French early Gothic style displayed in their original locations, as well as the stone monuments of the medieval Cathedral of Saint Adalbert’s main portal, the Porta speciosa.

The Botticelli fresco

In June 2007 it was announced that of the four virtues decorating the wall of the Vitéz János studiolo, the full‑length fresco of Temperance was probably created by Botticelli. Earlier it was thought to be the work of the Florentine master Albert. Vitéz had at that time commissioned the painting from the workshop of Filippo Lippi, from whom Botticelli also learned. The restoration team led by Zsuzsanna Wierdl has been working on the castle museum’s falconry paintings since 2000. Only now has it become certain that the fresco ensemble in the Vitéz János studiolo is Botticelli’s work. One part of the four‑panel wall painting is the uncovered fresco depicting Temperance, one of the four virtues. The painting’s total size is 4 × 5 metres. Research in Florentine archives has shown that Botticelli was abroad outside Italy at the time, and he probably painted it then. In May 2009 the study room received the European Heritage title; at that time the memorial plaque to Vitéz János, the great humanist archbishop, was unveiled in the castle museum courtyard and the figure of Temperance could be seen in the studio under restoration. In the double‑gate room next to the studiolo, an exhibition opened with the already completed falconry‑stone fragments. The study room will be open to visitors after the complete restoration of the other three Virtues and the Zodiac arch.