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Dolmabahçe Palace, built between 1843 and 1856 by order of Sultan Abdulmejid I, replaced the outdated Topkapı Palace as the royal residence. Designed by Ottoman-Armenian architects of the Balyan family, the palace blends Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical, and traditional Ottoman styles.
It is the largest palace in Turkey, covering 45,000 m², with 285 rooms, 46 halls, and the world’s largest crystal chandelier. Lavishly decorated with gold, crystal, marble, and rare carpets, the palace reflects the Empire’s desire to align with European tastes during the Tanzimat reforms, at great financial cost.
Six sultans lived here until the abolition of the Caliphate in 1924. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk later used it as a summer residence and died there in 1938. Today, the palace is a museum managed by Turkey’s Directorate of National Palaces.
The name 'Dolmabahçe' (meaning 'Filled-in Garden') comes from the palace’s location, once a bay on the Bosporus, later transformed into an imperial garden.
References:The Beckov castle stands on a steep 50 m tall rock in the village Beckov. The dominance of the rock and impression of invincibility it gaves, challenged our ancestors to make use of these assets. The result is a remarkable harmony between the natural setting and architecture.
The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.
The next owners, the Bánffys who adapted the Gothic castle to the Renaissance residence, improved its fortifications preventing the Turks from conquering it at the end of the 16th century. When Bánffys died out, the castle was owned by several noble families. It fell in decay after fire in 1729.
The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.