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Baroque Theatre

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Királyi Kastély

Baroque Theatre

Baroque Theatre

In the southernmost wing of the Palace, Count Antal Grassalkovich II (1734–1794) had a theatre auditorium constructed between 1782 and 1785. 24.5 m long, 8 m wide and 9.5 m high, the space resulted from making the formerly 3-storey wing into one. The walls were decorated with Neo-classical, late Baroque paintings. The theatre was in operation only when the Count was in residence at Gödöllő.

The story of the theatre came to an end in 1867 when it was converted into rooms for the entourage of the royal family.

Reconstruction was completed in August 2003, since then it has provided a venue for high standard performances, and it is now open to museum visitors.
 
Due to the lack of professional national theatre companies, acting in 18th century Hungary was restricted to schools and to the stages of noblemen. In the southernmost wing of the Palace, Count Antal Grassalkovich II (1734–1794) had a theatre auditorium constructed during reconstruction work between 1782 and 1785. This is the earliest stone theatre with coulisses still standing in Hungary.

24.5 m long, 8 m wide and 9.5 m high, the space resulted from making the formerly 3-storey wing into one. The Rococo-style suite of Cardinal Kristóf Migazzi (1714–1803) Bishop of Vác (constructed for him by Antal Grassalkovich I) fell victim to this reconstruction.

The walls of the theatre auditorium were decorated with Neo-classical, late Baroque paintings. The plastic parastades with Roman capitals are joined by cornices at the top and marble-like pedestals at the bottom. The surfaces between the parastades are adorned with ochre-framed pink fields with garlands. The 90 square-metre stage slanting slightly towards the stalls was equipped with the best technology of the age. The spatial effect of the Baroque stage-set was achieved by means of sliding coulisses and scenery canvases hanging from above (known as soffit) and also by backdrop canvases.

There was no orchestra pit separating the stalls from the stage; the orchestra was only separated from the audience by a low draught-screen. The audience was seated in the stalls and in the two galleries on the rear wall.

The theatre only functioned periodically. Antal Grassalkovich II and his family only spent a few weeks in Gödöllő each year. They spent most of the year in Vienna, Pozsony (Bratislava) and Pozsonyivánka. A private 24-piece orchestra accompanied the duke on his travels, providing the music for theatre performances, church ceremonies and various court events. The conductor and composer for the orchestra was György Druschetzky (1745–1819). Several rooms and a rehearsal room were fitted out for the musicians in the wing opposite the theatre. This was known as the Musicians’ Gangway. German theatrical companies performing in Buda, Pest and Győr came to play here. The performances were often attended by members of the local aristocracy.

There is no information on the theatre for around 7 decades after the death of Antal Grassalkovich II (1794). It ceased to exist in 1867, when the Palace was bought by the Hungarian state and free use of it made over as a coronation gift to Francis Joseph I and Queen Elizabeth. The building was hastily renovated in order to make it suitable for accommodating the royal family and the royal household. All the theatre furnishings were auctioned off and the inside of the theatre was once again divided into three separate floors by inserting two ceilings. A total of 15 rooms together with corridors were constructed on these floors.

This palace layout remained unchanged until 1986, by which time the state of the building had deteriorated so badly due to improper usage following World War II that the ceiling fell in. The theatre building, previously known only from written sources, was identified when the wall-painting extending over all three floors was uncovered. Further examination of the walls also provided clear evidence of traces of the stage equipment of the age.

 In order for the theatre to be rebuilt, the floors were removed and the space once more made into one. All surviving sections of the wall-painting were restored and the missing parts reconstructed in a way distinguishable from the original. (These areas are a few millimetres deeper and have less detail.) Above the stage can be seen the ducal variant of the Grassalkovich family coat-of-arms. The stage-set can be altered with the aid of two pairs of revolving coulisses and three pairs of sliding coulisses, as well as the upper and backdrop scenery canvases. The stage equipment has been reproduced based on contemporary analogies. The coulisses can be moved manually or mechanically. Behind the stage, a spiral staircase leads to what used to be Migazzi’s guest room, where the wall-painting has also been restored. (The missing sections are indicated by white patches here.) This now functions as the theatre flies.

The various facilities necessary for running the theatre, such as changing rooms, store-rooms and machinery, have been established on two, newly-built cellar levels. The theatre, which can seat 95, once again became a venue for quality theatrical performances in August 2003. A curiosity of theatrical history, this part of the palace can be visited on guided tours.

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Sisi Experience - guided tour with Sisi

During our special guided tour, you can visit the royal apartments as a guest of “Her Majesty”, where you can learn many interesting things about the family’s everyday life in Gödöllő. “Queen Elizabeth” will reveal secrets to her guests, such as how difficult her coronation dress was, how long it took to make her hairstyle, or what her relationship was like with Gyula Andrássy and Ferenc Deák.  The program is recommended for visitors over 12 years old! Date: 13. June 14:00 English-language tour   You can buy your ticket on the spot
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Queen Elizabeth's favourite place in the Royal Palace of Gödöllő

The Royal Palace of Gödöllő, the former residence of the Grassalkovich family with its beautiful parks and vast forests, became Queen Elizabeth's favourite residence in Hungary. Nowadays the palace is a prominent place of the Elizabeth cult. Wilhelm Richter (1824-1892): Queen Elizabeth on horseback, 1870s,oil on canvas Collection of the Royal Palace Museum of Gödöllő   Elizabeth (1837–1898) was a famously good equestrian, and in the 1870s and 80s she was able to compete in the toughest pack hunts in England and Ireland. However, in addition to cross-country riding, she was also excellent in equestrianism, so it is not surprising that her favourite place in the palace of Gödöllő was the riding hall. The riding hall of the Royal Palace of Gödöllő in 1896 (photo: Mór Erdélyi) and today (photo: András Dabasi), on the wall you can see Károly Lotz's painting Ménes: Ménes Collection of the Royal Palace Museum of Gödöllő   The riding hall was built by Antal Grassalkovich I. in the southern part of the palace in the middle of the 18th century. In 1879-80, according to Elizabeth's ideas, it was rebuilt, a menage was created in a circle with four large mirrors so that the queen could see the movements of the horses accurately. The ornament of the riding hall was a large painting depicting beautiful horses in the Hungarian wilderness. Károly Lotz (1833–1904): Ménes (1880) was placed in Queen Elizabeth's riding hall in Gödöllő in the autumn of 1881. The painting – which is the deposit of the Museum of Fine Arts – Hungarian National Gallery – has recently been found, identified and restored, so it can be seen again in its original location from February 2024.   Wilhelm Richter: Flick and Flock, 1877, reproduction of an oil painting, published in Egon Caesar Conte Corti: Elizabeth's biography "Die Seltsame Frau", published in 1934 Collection of the Royal Palace Museum of Gödöllő   In the 1870s, the queen bought circus horses and learned many horse stunts from Emilie Loisset and Elise Petzold, the prosthetic equestrian of the Renz circus. Elise was often in Gödöllő, became the queen's confidant, and Elizabeth gave her one of her favourite horses, Lord Byron, as a thank you. Friedrich Kaulbach painted a painting of the equestrian and her famous horse.[1] The queen regularly held horse shows for her family members and invited guests, so the riding hall was an important place for socializing. A piano was placed in the gallery, and the incidental music of the performances was played many times by Count Mária Festetics. The queen had several trainable horses, such as "Flick" and "Flock", the beautiful white steeds, whom she brought to Gödöllő in September 1878, and they had a very spectacular feat: Elizabeth stands in the middle of the "little riding school, sugar and bread in her hands, the horses are allowed in at the same time from different sides, they gallop towards their mistress, from whom they always get something good. They stop right in front of Elizabeth. One of her fond amusements is to introduce them to strangers when the horses suddenly rush in. Viewers are terrified."[2] Excerpt from the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Exhibition, left Friedrich Kaulbach: Elise Petzold on her horse Lord Byron, on the right is Wilhelm Richter (1824–1892): Queen Elizabeth in the riding hall of Gödöllő on horse Avolo, 1876. (photo: Marianna Kaján) Collection of the Royal Palace Museum of Gödöllő Her other famous circus horse "Avolo" was painted in a special way by court painter Wilhelm Richter in 1876 in the riding hall of Gödöllő: Avolo gets down on knee, with Elizabeth sitting on a side saddle, wearing a riding dress. The famous painting was donated by reader Ida Ferenczy to the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Museum in the Buda Palace in 1908, today it is in the collection of the Hungarian National Museum and is a featured artwork of the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Exhibition of Gödöllő Palace. The painting will be on display at the Palace of Versailles for the occasion of the XXXIII Olympic Games from July 2 to Nov. 3, 2024 in a temporary exhibition on horseback riding  entitled "Horse in Majesty – At the Heart of a Civilisation".                                                                        Marianna Kaján, historian-museologist   Wilhelm Richter (1824–1892): Queen Elizabeth in the riding hall of Gödöllő on horse Avolo, 1876, reproduction of an oil painting, published in Egon Caesar Conte Corti's biography Elizabeth "Die Seltsame Frau", published in 1934 Collection of the Royal Palace Museum of Gödöllő   [1] The picture decorated Elizabeth's suite in Gödöllő, nowadays it can be seen in the palace, at the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Exhibition. [2] gr. Egon Cäsar Corti, Elizabeth, p. 288.
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2025. Outdoor summer programs at the Royal Palace of Gödöllő

2025. Outdoor summer programs at the Royal Palace of Gödöllő

2025. Outdoor summer programs at the Royal Palace of Gödöllő        “Tündérkirálynő légy a párom” – operetta gala Huszka 150 / Jókai 200 / Strauss 200 Dates, time: 07.15. 20:00 Ticket price: 6.500-7.500 HUF   The first part of the gala concert features the most renowned operetta excerpts by Jenő Huszka, while the second part presents a selection from Johann Strauss’s The Gypsy Baron. A unique aspect of the evening is that the works of both composers are connected by the figure of Mór Jókai, whose literary creations inspired several of the featured pieces and whose 200th birth anniversary is also being celebrated.   TICKET         Hot Jazz Band 40 Dates, time: 07.17. 20:30 Ticket price: 6.500-7.500 HUF   Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the Kossuth Prize-winning Hot Jazz Band will be the next performer at the Grassalkovich Palace in Gödöllő. The concert will offer a retrospective of the band's rich career, during which they have performed in 22 European countries, as well as in the United States and China.   TICKET       ABBA ÉS BONEY M. CONCERTSHOW Dates, time: 07.19. 20:30 Ticket price: 10.900-12.900 HUF   With us, there’s no rivalry! The greatest hits of the disco era will come to life on one stage, in one unforgettable night! The legendary songs of ABBA and Boney M. will be performed in a spectacular concert show, guaranteed to deliver an electrifying atmosphere.   TICKETS       Group'N Swing Cabaret Extravaganza Concertshow Dates, time: 08.09. 20:30 Ticket price: 6.500-7.500 HUF   Now celebrating its 19th anniversary, the Fonogram Award-winning Group’n’Swing Band – Hungary’s number one Swing & Boogie Show Band – has always held a prominent place on the Hungarian music scene. The band is honored to have earned unanimous acclaim from both the industry and the public. Their concerts are characterized by outstanding musical quality, dynamic show elements supported by high-energy dance choreographies, pure joy, and an infectious positive energy that captivates their audience.     TICKETS         Illényi Katica Concert accompanied by the Dunube Symphony Orchestra  Dates, time: 08.10 20:30 Ticket price: 13.990-15.990 HUF   On August 10th, music lovers are invited to a truly special open-air experience in the stunning gardens of the Royal Palace of Gödöllő. This time, Katica Illényi will enchant the audience accompanied by the Danube Symphony Orchestra, conducted by István Silló.   TICKETS             
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