Lendava Castle, Lendava, Slovenia

Lendava castle is first mentioned in the records in 1192 as a property of the Hungarian noble family Bánffy and was theirs until the middle of the 17th century, when it fell to the Nádasdy family for a short period, and in the 18th century came under the management of the Eszterházy family.

Today it is a massive two-storey building with a mansard roof overlooking the town of Lendava-Lendva. The walls are supported by massive buttresses and the south-west façade is emphasised with a central tower.

The castle was in past centuries many times entirely restored and rebuilt. The present-day Baroque appearance of the castle dates from 1690–1707, following the withdrawal of the Turks from the area, when the Esterházys had it rebuilt to form an L-shaped building as a sign of their loyalty to the Emperor Leopold I. The castle became a show piece of Baroque architecture, and remained in the hands of the Esterházy family until World War I.

The museum collection boasts a permanent archaeological, historical and ethnological exhibition, as well as a memorial room for the most famous sculptor of Lendava, György Zala. The art heritage of Lendava artists is preserved in the institute’s gallery collection, which features a collection of artwork that has emerged from this traditional international artistic community.

References:

Galerija-Muzej Lendava

User Reviews

Yaykap Honey (8 months ago)
The staff was very friendly and in the beginning we watched a movie. Unfortunately many text is just in slowenian and not in English. That could be improved. Cause some of the historical staff you could just guess. The video showed some details of lendava. All in all I would recommend the place. Thank you

Tijana Soprenić (9 months ago)
Playin;)

Alex Stopar (9 months ago)
Nice castle with great exhibition inside and very friendly and knowledgeable staff. Some interesting metal sculptures outside. Lots of nice views over Lendava.

Szabolcs Lovas (2 years ago)
Lovely walk around the castle.

Tamás Eszes (2 years ago)
Nice and cosy little town with a proud castle.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

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