Lendava Castle

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Grad Lendava

Kovačeva 28, SI-9220 Lendava-Lendva

galerija.muzejlendava@siol.net

Phone386 (0) 2 578 9260

Managed byMunicipality of Lendava-Lendva

 Lendava-Lendva Gallery and Museum

Franc Gerič, Director

Phone386 (0) 2 578 9262

Originally built in the 12th century as a fortification on the hill above the Lendava, the Lendava Castle is one of the most important historic monuments in the region. 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 showpiece of Baroque architecture, and remained in the hands of the Esterhàzy family until the Second World War.

Since 1972 the castle houses the Lendava-Lendva Gallery and Museum and each year it hosts a restoration workshop as well as the artists from the Lendava-Lendva International Artists Colony and the Youth Fine Arts Colony Lind Art.

History

The 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 Nádasdy family for a short period, and since the 18th century under the management of Eszterházy family. Today it is a massive two-storey building with a mansard roof overlooking the Lendava town. The walls are supported by massive buttresses and the south-west façade is emphasized with a central tower.

Museum displays and exhibitions

The archaeological exhibition Oloris presents the late Bronze Age settlement Dolnji Lakoš pri Lendavi. The historical exhibition The Castle Lies in Wait [Grad na preži] informs us about the Turks’ invasions to the territory and presents the replicas of weapons and equipments of soldiers at that time. The numismatic exhibition, donated by the National Museum in Budapest, presents the development of Hungarian currency.

The memorial rooms are dedicated to György Zala (1858–1937) and Štefan Galič (1944–1997), the artists and natives of Lendava.

There is a smaller lapidary arranged in the hall, of the leftovers of the castle walls and three Baroque sculptures from Lendava neighbourhood. The oldest exhibit is a fragment of the castle walls dating in 1675, the most interesting but are the Baroque statue of John the Baptist and of St. Anne with Mary from the Lendava hills.

The castle is a spot for temporary exhibitions, as well as restoration workshops, which take place yearly under the supervision of the National Museum, Budapest, in order to restore as many museum items as possible in the ten days.

See also

• Lendava-Lendva Gallery and Museum
• Lendava-Lendva International Artists Colony

External links

• Lendava-Lendva Gallery and Museum web page
• About György Zala (in Slovenian)
• György Zala on Wikipedia (in Hungarian)