Our Foundation has set as its goal the preservation—through photographic and historical documentation—of the architectural monuments of historic Hungary now facing destruction or grave endangerment. This ambitious, potentially decades-long endeavor aims to create the most comprehensive visual inventory possible of the built heritage of Upper Hungary.
The highlands of the Carpathian Basin—the Felvidék, now in Slovakia—are a veritable treasury of Hungarian architectural legacy, perhaps its most precious region, which largely escaped the ravages of war, including the frontlines of the Ottoman conquests. With only mild exaggeration, one might claim that as many mansions and manor houses survive in a single noble village in the Felvidék—such as Márkusfalva (Markušovce, Slovakia) or Liptószentiván (Liptovský Ján)—as in the entire region of Bácska. Moreover, this territory boasts a remarkable wealth of Renaissance buildings, a rarity in Hungary proper. Contrary to popular belief, however, many noble residences here too have fallen into disrepair; in several cases, their legal status remains unresolved—or their fate already sealed.
Most vulnerable among them are the manor houses of the lesser nobility, which, due to the tragic turns of the 20th century, have lost both their original purpose and caretakers. While aristocratic residences of outstanding artistic value can occasionally attract grant funding, and smaller mansions may be adapted for private use, the medium-sized noble estates—once comprising twenty or thirty rooms—have largely become hopeless cases. Stripped of their former vast estates of hundreds or thousands of acres, their maintenance imposes an unbearable burden on the small communities at whose edges they now crumble.
In such circumstances, the role of photography gains renewed significance. Too often, a photograph may become the only surviving testament to a once-glorious residence. And yet even a well-preserved monument must be recorded—for its present state, too, is part of our architectural history and may provide a foundation for future restoration.
This project began with the photographic documentation of monuments in two closely connected regions: the northern counties of former Upper Hungary and the environs of historic Pressburg (Pozsony, now Bratislava).
The area around Pressburg, close to the once imperial city of Vienna, holds pivotal significance in Hungarian history. Within its surrounding counties—Pozsony, Moson, Sopron, and Nyitra—lived court officials, high-ranking public servants, statesmen, administrators, and military officers, all serving the ruling house. Though their names and careers are largely forgotten today, a few—like Field Marshal János Pálffy or Palatine Pál Esterházy—still echo faintly through the pages of schoolbooks.
The leading figures of the Hungarian aristocracy left behind, in these counties, monuments of enduring cultural and artistic value—buildings that would stand proud even by European standards. Yet many of these noble residences—such as the Kollonich mansion at Nagylévárd (Veľké Leváre), the Csáky manor at Magyarbél (Veľký Biel), the Amadé palace at Bős (Gabčíkovo), or the Zichy–Lónyay estate at Oroszvár (Rusovce)—have declined or fallen to ruin, or worse: found themselves put to degrading use. It is our moral imperative to record their current state and to share their forgotten magnificence with the Hungarian public—many of whom remain unaware of the cultural treasures once erected by Hungarian noble families under the shadow of Vienna.
Our second area of research lies in the lesser-known northern reaches of Upper Hungary, where the construction of many valuable monuments can be credited to families of the lower nobility. Some of the most soul-stirring manor houses here now stand abandoned or lie in decay, their restoration slow or stalled. Even the grand residences of the aristocracy across regions like Liptó (Liptov), Árva (Orava), Trencsén (Trenčín), or Szepes (Spiš) suffer from a lack of conservation funds. One can only hope that someday the Thurzó castles at Nagybiccse (Bytča), the Szapáry estate of Vágbeszterce–Vágváralja (Považská Bystrica), the Okolicsányi manor at Okolicsna (Okolično), the Kubinyi residence at Nagyolaszi (Vlachy), the Máriássy ensemble at Márkusfalva (Markušovce), or the Révay castle at Kisselmec (Turčianska Štiavnička) may yet be brought back to life.
The Esterházy château in Ábrahám (Abrahám) was built by Count Károly Esterházy between 1899 and 1900, designed by Josef Urban. This rare example of Secessionist architecture—whose interiors were partly painted by the count himself—now lies hidden in a wild and overgrown English park at the village’s edge, its discovery alone a challenge.
The “newer” Esterházy palace at Galánta (Galanta) was commissioned around 1860 by Count József Esterházy—a passionate researcher of the past and patriarch of the family—upon the foundations of an ancient building. Designed by Antal Wéber, the residence evokes a medieval atmosphere. Today, the town and a local preservation society make serious efforts to rescue and restore this monumental structure.
The splendid baroque residence of Cseklész (Bernolákovo) was born of the great wave of castle construction in the early 18th century. Built between 1714 and 1722 at the behest of Count József Esterházy, it was likely executed by architect A. E. Martinelli, following designs attributed to his superior, Joseph Emmanuel Fischer von Erlach. Recently restored, the palace once more shines in its former glory.