Castle Szidonia

Welcome End

József Nagy de Felsőbük

Ürményi Miksa

Verseghy Elek

The Castle Szidonia, or Szidónia Manor House, is a 17th-century castle that operates today as a 4-star spa hotel. It is located in Röjtökmuzsaj, Hungary, 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) from Sopron and 95 kilometres (59 mi) from Vienna. The castle is part of the Austrian and the Hungarian Castle Alliance. Though the castle was first used as a hunting lodge, it has since been converted into a 46-room hotel. It is set within a park that features outdoor activities such as cycling, horseback riding, fishing, golf, hunting, and tennis.

The hotel was awarded the Castle Hotel of the Year in 2007.

History

In the 16th century, the castle estate consisted only of a ground-floor building surrounded by a large forested area. In 1750, the castle was rebuilt in a romantic and classical style into what it is today. The double-winged main building surrounds a large, U-shaped courtyard with pillared arcades. The military park estate originally occupied 8 hectares (20 acres).

After the death of the principal notary, deputy head of administrative district and later co-opted member in the seven-seat board, Pal Felsobuki Nagy, his son Joseph, office mentor and personal secretary of the king, became heir to the farm. After the death of his only daughter, Juliana, the estate passed to her husband, Maximilian Urmenyi.

Urmenyi's descendants sold the building and left four pieces of bedroom furniture and a life-size portrait of Maria Theresa, which later disappeared. It is said the Empress visited the Ürményi family and the portrait had been created in memory of her visit.

Anton Bauer later bought the Castle, who later died in 1893. The Farmhouse in fringe was inherited by his son, Michael. His management was recognized by the highest authorities and together with his younger brother Anthony, he was awarded peerage from the King.

In 1910, the estate was bought by Maximilian Berg, who came from Germany. Until then, the Castle had remained largely unchanged. On the façade of the main entrance was Columna Place, covered with a roof. The walls were divided by intervening pilaster Ionic braided to the floor. Berg rebuilt the castle according to military design by an architect from Mayer Wiener Neustadt. According to an inscription, the garden bridge, featuring two stone lions, was donated in 1923 by the German Thyssen industrial magnate family – today Thyssen - Bornemisza family. The sons of Baron Maximilian inherited the Castle Berg.

In 1926, the Hungarian ambassador to the Vatican, Verseghi Elek Nagy and his wife Johanna Elizabeth Janssen, daughter of August Janssen, granddaughter of Peter Wilhelm Janssen, became the new owners. They extensively reconstructed and modernized the castle. During their era of ownership, the park around the castle was built and the large pool was established according to the project of Alfred Hajos. Johanna Elizabeth had traveled the world as a child of a wealthy global tradesman, and her tastes are reflected in the estate. Beside the park pool a small wooden Japanese house with reed roof was built, which was unprecedented in the Transdanubia Region. The Court is also decorated with French garden with regular ground, round box trees, hedges and flowers planted in double square. The southern face of the wall also has an enclosed garden with an area of 50x50 meters, which is located in the middle of the small pool with fountain.

World War II

Upon entering the building, visitors can admire the historical wooden tiles and plaster ceiling in the lobby and the marble fireplace, which remained intact during World War II. In the chapel is a high-quality copy of the work of Italian master Boltraffia, Madonna Litta also Place, whose original is exhibited in the Hungarian National Gallery. On either side of the altar, wooden statues of the seventeenth century were located, which are now exhibited in the Christian Museum in Sopron. The Apostle St. Paul portrays and is of the holy bishop. The author is unknown.

The salon floor furniture comes from the Amsterdam Palace of Louis Bonaparte, the brother of Napoleon. The furniture was owned by a Dutch Lady's Estate. After her death, it was inherited by her daughter, the first wife of Verseghi Elek, Johanna Elizabeth Janssen, the granddaughter of the highly successful global tradesman and philanthropist, Peter Wilhelm Janssen of Amsterdam. Such way in the former royal salon furniture came to Rojtokmuzsaj.

In the 20th century, a lot of guests attended in the castle tassels. For many years the Metropolitan Archbishop Dr. Justinian Serédi, Count Janos Mikes, Archbishop Gustav Majláth Charles, Paul Stephen Count Bethlen and Count Teleki – the latter as prime minister – the former foreign minister, Count Berthold Leopold, Archduchess Magdalene and the other members of the Family Esterhazy, as well as members of the Families Szechenyi, and there Pállfy spent their holidays.

The Verseghi family crypt is located in the castle park Verseghi. The father of Elek Nagy, Francis, was buried there in 1928. Elek High Verseghi's wife died in 1934 aged 34 years and is buried in the family crypt. Elek and Elizabeth left behind six small children; Francis Xavier, Edith, Magdelena, Alexa, Peter (who died in WWII), Maria Louisa and Elizabeth.

I Verseghy High remarried in 1936 he married Mary Louise Countess Zichy, with whom he had two sons, Andrew and Elek.

Among his children Peter died a heroic death, four other children left the country in 1944 Verseghi Elek Nagy and his wife were deported in 1951 to Tiszasüly – Koloptanya.[1]

Nationalization

Over the years, the castle's condition worsened. An expected new owners to reconstruction, re-pompázhasson old beauty. The dream realized, of which M. Judit Anda, lead designer of the castle some thought to inform you, dear reader.

The castle was nationalized after the gyermeküdülőnek used. The new feature was transformations, but in addition to dispatch Mobilia serious, the building did not suffer irreversible damage. In the 90 years the castle was evacuated and the years of waiting for a new master. The elapsed time is not used for the building technical condition gradually worsened, the park is overgrown.

Szidonia Manor House (Felsobuki-Urmenyi Castle)

Post-communism

In 1997, Derry Márta bought the castle and completed renovation of the historic structured in record time despite its poor condition. The preparatory work for the surveying and design took place from February to August 1998, and construction work commenced in September 1998 until completion in December 1999. The interior trim begun in parallel with the construction work from September 1999 until the end of December in the same year. The property was then opened to the public in the following year on New Year's Eve.

The renovations were designed with consideration to preserve as much of the old manor buildings as possible with new construction to accommodate the existing building. Due to an increase of hotel guests, new stairs were developed along the two side wings, raised roofs, and the attic.

The ground floor of the former increased the glazed veranda conservatory and converted into a restaurant here. The largest intervention in the build-wing swimming pool this meant, but tried not to disturb the harmony of the castle. The backyard maintained and developed while the current premises of the sauna and nice, varied tetőtömegeit well. The swimming pool with a glass polygonal shape is not only the park is trying to close a connection, but also refers to the development of the main entrance facade of glazed conservatory as well.

Organically linked to the castle within the castle garden L-shaped farm building, which has been managed by the council, after the nationalization. It worked inside the youth club, village library, hair salon, organized by the place where the village celebrations and gatherings. It was a popular place Röjtökmuzsaj population. The government though would have liked, but he could not sacrifice the order imports. Thus was born the idea that the new owners of the castle undertake the renovation of the farm building, which historically has always belonged to the castle anyway, so that the castle and its environment in all its glory as a hotel to work on. How the community is not exposed to harm, instead they built a place designated by the government of a new, more suitable for today's needs of the village house, which has not only events venue, but also the permanent home of the local government.

The exchange took place, so that became the village built a new house is proof that good cause to private owners and municipalities can cooperate benefit everyone.

The former economic building of what is now called the Udvarhaz, increased the amount of attic floor area, making sure, however, that the new building mass should not be too pronounced. Here 13 rooms built.

The Japanese house and external ponds at t is restored to its original form.

The castle is surrounded by a 6.5-hectare (16-acre) park that diversity, well-known works are here to impress, but opportunities for active recreation.

The "Wizard again," Mary Brány chartered civil engineer garden landscape and thus evokes the atmosphere of the garden. "It seemed unlikely to intact existing Dutch bukszusparterekkel articulated and bokorrózsákkal planted garden, based on the plans of Alfred Hajos outdoor pool, a Japanese house, the former owner Verseghi Nagy Elek vault, the vadgesztenyékkel tree-lined walking paths and opens me up."

has not changed over the years, the garden structure, which once built the Berlin Verseghi Nagy Elek Späth execution of the company. The sculptural work, however, was part of the team in Sopron also Geza Seiffert, Baumann Bela Bela Mechle and personally.

The former park and creation of the atmosphere of the newly built sports fields did not break.

"Export plan for the renovation of the park ahead of preparatory work was more part of the park geodetic survey and inventory of existing crops. Due to the szállodafunkcióból the garden must meet diverse needs that had to be taken into account in the design. The value of existing plants and the former kialakításból remaining protected items matching the features I was looking for the opportunity to provide new housing needs in such a way that the final result of building a harmonious ensemble park in relation born. "- Mary says Brány.

The former vegetation, without exception, the only woody plants were virtually untraceable. the most valuable elements of the park in front of the Dutch garden and the U-shaped inner garden bukszusparterei intact, and vérbükkök huge plane trees, black walnut and the castle.

They examined the trees, the megmaradókat cared for the sick, megmenthetetlen plants, seedlings and undergrowth enveloping cut. After extracting the rock garden beautiful, interesting shape opened to the garden builders, whose introduction into plants is based on the country's wealth to plant gardens. The lack of new plants are replaced.

So he could develop in Derry Marta handiwork of the "miracle world", which is now our guests can find the romanticism of the past and the present is comfort.

In January 2014, Professor Dr. Günter Nebel, the hotel's new owner, who is trying to preserve the character of the hotel is developed and adjusted to the concept, and the hospitality at, which has always been home waiting for the visitor.[2]