The three towers with gleaming copper roofs of the Esterházy residence in Cseklész (now Bernolákovo, Slovakia) shine through even the splendor of the Baroque nobility of the time. Its princely appearance, lavish proportions, and vast, legendary park were reminiscent of the home of princes – although it was smaller in size than the princely residences, including the castle of the relative Prince Nicholas Esterházy in Eszterháza. Its residents, the Esterházy Counts, were busy courtiers in Vienna who often hosted royals in Cseklész. The hospitality of crowned ladies and gentlemen consumed fortunes under the conditions of the time, and Archduchess Christina, the governor of the Netherlands, also fell in love with the place and repeatedly tested the manor’s budget with her princely visits.
The glorious days of the Esterházy Counts ended in Cseklész in the 20th century. Today, a golf club (Black and White Golf Resort Bratislava) operates in the castle and its park, and in addition to maintaining the magnificent courses established on the site of the former English park, the renovation of the noble residence continues. The facade of the main building shines in its old glory again, and the hugely expensive works have put an end to many years of disruption here.
The pinnacle of Baroque architecture
The sumptuous Esterházy residence was built during the great Baroque palace building wave at the beginning of the 18th century. The splendid noble residence was probably built by A. E. Martinelli between 1714 and 1722 on the orders of Count József Esterházy. According to tradition, the plans were drawn up by Martinelli’s boss, Joseph Emmanuel Fischer von Erlach. The emphasis is on tradition, as Erlach’s authorship is disputed.
The projecting wings of the closed courtyard residence are probably connected by an older block. The nobleman’s residence was rebuilt in the second half of the 18th century based on the plans of Jakab Fellner. However, the works were not originally entrusted to him, but to the great master of the Viennese Baroque period, Nicolaus Pacassi. After almost half a year of bedridden illness, Jakab Fellner was able to begin one of the most significant works of his life. The architect, who rose from a master mason, proved with the Cseklész Castle that he belongs among the greatest designers.
Tree climbing Dutch style
The 18th-century traveler Gottfried Edler von Rotenstein – whose name, reminiscent of contemporary adventure novel heroes, actually concealed the bodyguard captain Count János Pálffy of Erdőd (1744–1794) – described the Cseklész Castle in great detail, devoting long passages to the description of its huge garden, the alleys, the parterres, and the garden buildings.
He did not forget about the social life that took place within the castle walls:
“Cseklész is a real home of entertainment, and because there is so much variety, one never gets tired of the country air. Archduchess Christina, currently the governor of the Netherlands, spent a few months here every year with her husband: In fact, in 1766 the entire court was here, and for this occasion a red Chinese house was built in the old pheasant’s house, from where the court could admire all the sights. There was fishing on the Danube, Chinese horse racing, tree climbing in the Dutch style, a fair with merchants dressed in the costumes of all nations, and stalls decorated with garlands of flowers, pine branches and silver-plated goods. Persians, Turks, Muscovites, Hindus, Armenians, Dutch, English, Italians, etc. could be seen there. Many thousands of people gathered here from the surrounding area.”
Chancellor until the end
The Cseklész Castle enjoyed its golden age during the ownership of Count Ferenc Esterházy (1715–1785), who led the Hungarian Court Chancellery for twenty-three years as Chancellor. The lord was considered one of Maria Theresa’s most direct supporters and collaborators, despite the fact that his free thinking and the fame he gained in Viennese social life made the queen, who lived by the puritanical family ideal, disapprove. The count, who was nicknamed Quinnquin, was known as a great friend of beautiful women and entertainment.
However, Ferenc Esterházy also knew the duty that his rank and social position imposed on him in the world. He founded several institutions, the purpose of which was to educate young people and take in orphans. He set up an orphanage in the castle of Tallós (today Tomášikovo), and he transferred his residence in Szenc (today Senec), not to mention the institution’s twenty thousand forints of registered capital, to establish a school. He is also responsible for the reconstruction of the Hungarian Chancellery building (which cost a huge amount partly due to his demands), and the palace now houses the Hungarian embassy in Vienna.
As chancellor, he became one of the most important men at court during a defining period. At that time, such fateful decrees as the lordship patent (1767) defining the relationship between serfs and landlords, as well as the reform of education (1773) and the division of the country into school districts (1776) were passed, and Count Ferenc needed all his talents to balance the interests of the monarch with the harmful and often opposing estates. Around 1770, a French envoy wrote of him: “An enlightened aristocrat, just, in his thorny position he enjoys the trust of his nation, he does not bow sufficiently to the will of the monarch; by doing so he risks his position, or at least does not greatly increase his influence.”
During the reign of Joseph II, the son of Maria Theresa, Ferenc Esterházy came into conflict with the king, who did not even have himself crowned. Although the elderly chancellor was a supporter of reformist ideas, he did not approve of the method of their implementation based on the constitution of the Order. Despite all his disputes and objections, he did not resign from his office, which may have been due to the fact that Joseph II liked officials who had independent opinions and stood up for them.
P. Zs.