Károlyi Castle is a 19th-century castle located in

Füzérradvány Füzérradvány is a village in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the no ...

Sátoraljaújhely District Sátoraljaújhely () is a district in north-eastern part of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County. ''Sátoraljaújhely'' is also the name of the town where the district seat is found. The district is located in the Northern Hungary Statistical Region. ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

. The castle was built by Péter Réthey at the end of the 16th century. The castle and estate were given to László Károlyi by Leopold I in 1686. The Károlyi Castle, which dates back to the 16th century, was rebuilt in a romantic-

eclectic Eclectic may refer to: Music * ''Eclectic'' (Eric Johnson and Mike Stern album), 2014 * ''Eclectic'' (Big Country album), 1996 * Eclectic Method, name of an audio-visual remix act * Eclecticism in music, the conscious use of styles alien to th ...

style based on the plans of

Miklós Ybl Miklós Ybl (6 April 1814 in Székesfehérvár – 22 January 1891 in Budapest) was one of Europe's leading architects in the mid to late nineteenth century as well as Hungary's most influential architect during his career. His most well-known w ...

between 1860 and 1870, while its interior is in the Italian Renaissance style.

History

In 1614, the Füzérradvány estate was owned by Pál Nádasdy, but by 1620 it had passed to Péter Réthey. In a 1626 will, his widow bequeathed the Füzérradvány manor, built in the style of a castle, to their daughter, Zsófia Réthey, and her husband, Imre Mosdóssy, further obligating her to finish the construction of the Füzérradvány church. Zsófia Réthey, who lived in the castle with Ferenc Jékei Buly at the time. Between 1674 and 1680, Füzérradvány belonged to András Hartyáni as a royal gift, and to the treasury in 1680, but it continued to be used by the widow's second husband and his son, Mihály Várady. The castle and estate were donated by Leopold I to László Károlyi in 1686. In 1702, Károlyi's son, Baron

Sándor Károlyi Baron, later Count Sándor Károlyi de Nagykároly (; 20 March 1668 – 8 September 1743) was a Hungarian aristocrat, statesman and Imperial Feldmarschall. He was one of the generals of Francis II Rákóczi during the War of Independence. Later he ...

, acquired the Füzérradvány estate from the chamber for 5,000 HUF. In 1717, Sándor Károlyi mortgaged Füzérradvány, together with the castle and the villages, to Baron General Imre Dessewffy for 30 years for 5,000 HUF. From 1734, Dessewffy's son Ferenc Dessewffy, the Lord Lieutenant of

Abaúj County Abaúj (, , or ) is a historic administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. In parts of the 19th century, and in the beginning of the 20th century, it was united with Torna County to form Abaúj-To ...

, lived on the estate. In 1754, Count

Ferenc Károlyi Count Ferenc Károlyi de Nagykároly (20 June 1705 – 14 August 1758), was a Hungarian nobleman and soldier. Early life Károlyi was born on 20 June 1705 at his family's castle in Olcsva in the Kingdom of Hungary (1526–1867), Kingdom of Hungar ...

redeemed Füzérradvány. In a 1717 description of the castle, it describes the building thoroughly, reflecting its uninhabited, doorless condition, which can be compared to what can be read from the line drawing taken in 1702. The castle was "L" shaped, with wings facing south and east, with a closed observation balcony at each of its three corners. In 1752, Count

had a plan of the castle made, which returned to the

Károlyi family The House of Károlyi is the name of an old and prominent Hungarian noble family, whose members held the title of Count in Hungary, awarded to them on 5 April 1712 by Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor. They claim descent from the late 9th century Mag ...

in 1754, but was again leased to István Péchy. During the ownership of Count Ede Károlyi, the late Renaissance castle built by Réthey was almost entirely demolished and rebuilt between 1846 until 1877. Count Ede the first Károlyi to choose Radvány as his permanent residence. An amateur designer, the Count asked

, his family's preferred architect, to create the new, U-shaped castle with two wings connecting to it from the north. The octagonal tower was designed by Count Ede Károlyi. According to Ervin Ybl's notes, his family constantly mocked Count Ede for the design, calling him a "stubborn" because of his tall, narrow, and rather disproportionate appearance. Between 1897 and 1902, Count László Károlyi had the southern residential wing of the castle rebuilt according to architect Albert Pio's plans, who also made plans in 1907. Between 1898 and 1913, Count László Károlyi and his wife, Countess Franciska

Apponyi The House of Apponyi, also known as Apponyi de Nagy-Appony, was a prominent and powerful Hungarian family of the high upper nobility of the Kingdom of Hungary, whose members remained notable even after the kingdom's dismemberment in the successor ...

, purchased complete Renaissance fireplaces, door frames, and carvings primarily in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, from the art dealer

Stefano Bardini Stefano Bardini (1836–1922) was an Italian connoisseur and art dealer in Florence who specialized in Italian paintings, Renaissance sculpture, '' cassoni'' and other Renaissance and Cinquecento furnishings and architectural fragments that came o ...

, and in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, which were installed in the castle. They also purchased Renaissance and late Renaissance furniture and objects d'art, creating a museum-like interior. Between 1936 and 1938, while owned by Count István Károlyi, the building was transformed into a luxury castle hotel based on the plans of György Lehoczky, who also designed the pavilions in the castle park. At that time, the upstairs rooms were divided into suites, and tennis, ski and golf courses, as well as beach and apartment houses were built in the park. The luxury hotel, surrounded by an impressive park, opened its doors to visitors in 1938 and, with an interruption, operated by the family until 1948.

Post World War II

After the nationalization in 1949, a hospital was set up at the castle, and, later, a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, is a historic name for a specialised hospital for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments, and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often in a health ...

was located within its walls. Between 2018 and 2021, within the framework of the National Castle Program, the complex renovation of the castle as a historic monument and its development into a tourist attraction was carried out as an investment by the NÖF National Heritage Protection Development Nonprofit Ltd.

Gallery

Füzérradvány 1940, Károlyi kastély. Fortepan 6122.jpg, 1940 photograph Kút a füzérradványi Károlyi-kastélynál.jpg, Exterior detail Volt Károlyi-kastély (2768. számú műemlék) 6.jpg, View of the tower Volt Károlyi-kastély (2768. számú műemlék) 7.jpg, Rear view Füzérradvány kastély torony-lépcső.jpg, Interior staircase Volt Károlyi-kastély (2768. számú műemlék) 4.jpg, Interior column

References

External links

{{Authority control Castles in Hungary Museums in Hungary