Mátra Múzeum

The Mátra Museum is located in the former Orczy Castle building on the eastern side of Gyöngyös, next to road number 24 leading towards the Mátra, primarily collecting memories and documents related to the town and the Mátra region, some of which are presented in a permanent exhibition.

The early history of the Mátra Museum

Orczy (I.) Lőrinc had the Orczy Castle built in 1770 on the site of a former courtyard house that stood on the family estate. The one‑storey, U‑shaped Baroque building was later rebuilt several times. In 1826, according to the plans of Lőrinc Zofahl, a northern wing was added, turning it into a square, closed, Classicist‑style palace, and the arcades opening onto the inner courtyard were walled up. The palace and the park created around it were sold by the family’s descendants to the city in 1937, but the furnishings and artworks that were also handed over later disappeared.

The castle later served various purposes; from 1958, besides the Mátra Museum, the city library operated here, and the famous (later returned) Franciscan historic library was also stored here. In 1984 the building was handed over to the Heves County Museums Directorate, and the former castle has since housed the Mátra Museum.

The building owned by the county government and the Orczy Garden (formerly Dimitrov Garden) owned by the city government began a complete renovation in 2005. During archaeological and heritage investigations, period Baroque wall paintings were uncovered in several rooms. During the works the arcades walled up in 1826 were opened, the previously open inner courtyard was covered with a glass roof, and new technical equipment (lighting, heating) was installed.

The renovated building has been receiving visitors of the museum since May 15, 2007.

Exhibitions

The museum’s current permanent exhibition consists of several independent thematic sections.

In the ground‑floor rooms one can see hunting and hunting‑history objects and displays. In some of the upstairs rooms a natural‑science exhibition has been set up, where special minerals, the petrified tree trunks found in the Mátra, and various rocks are exhibited. The museum’s special feature is the mammoth skeleton erected in the covered courtyard, which consists of about 80 % original bones. This is the only skeleton that can be considered complete in the country.

The third part of the permanent exhibition deals with the city’s history, presenting characteristic objects and documents of the various periods. Here the separate room dedicated to the work of the physician, naturalist and language reformer Pál Bugát, born in Gyöngyös, is also arranged. Also on the upper floor are two rooms preserving the history of the Orczy family, whose walls are decorated with original Baroque wall paintings uncovered during the renovation.