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The Kinghill Pavilion

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Királyi Kastély

The Kinghill Pavilion

The Kinghill Pavilion

 

Located around 200 metres from the Palace, the Kinghill pavilion is the only remaining building in the Palace park which dates from the Baroque period. It was Antal Grassalkovich I who had the hexagonal pavilion built in the 1760s. 54 oil paintings depicting Hungarian leaders and kings were incorporated into the panelled walls of the pavilion. The majority of the pictures have been destroyed or have disappeared and in the 1980s, only the bare walls were left standing. The building was reconstructed in 2002. The set of pictures was re-created by means of advanced photographic technology in 2004, and since then the pavilion may be visited on guided tours.

 The only building surviving from the Baroque period in the Palace park is the Kinghill pavilion with the portraits of Hungarian leaders from the time of the Hungarian conquest and those of later Hungarian kings. It was Antal Grassalkovich I who had the hexagonal pavilion built in the 1760s around 200 metres from the palace. Galleries of ancestors and kings would be created in the 17th and 18th centuries as ornamentation for aristocratic residences. On the one hand this was a way of expressing their sense of nobility, and on the other it was a pictorial representation of their attitude to history. A speciality of the series of pictures in Gödöllő is that Grassalkovich erected a separate building for the purpose of evoking the whole of Hungarian history with a near-complete set of former rulers. The pavilion was built on an artificial hill known as Kinghill. (This name has historical significance. It used to be the name of a place where a new king would ride up following his coronation ceremony and swing his sword towards the four winds as a sign of his will to defend the country against attacks coming from any direction.)

            The 54 oil paintings depicting the leaders and kings incorporated into the panelled walls of the pavilion all share a common frame structure of laurel wreaths and phylacteries. The phylactery displays the name of the portrait’s subject in Latin, his number in the line of rulers and the dates of his reign. Rulers of greater significance have larger portraits and have been placed in special positions over the doors and the windows. The line starts with Attila’s portrait over the northern entrance. He is followed by Keve underneath him and then the portraits follow one after the other in a clockwise manner. (After a full turn, the lines of pictures continue spirally downwards, always taking one step down after each turn under the starting picture.)

            Some of the pictures were damaged during the War of Independence in 1848–49. Baron Simon Sina, the new owner of the palace, had the pavilion renovated in 1857 in preparation for Francis Joseph I’s visit to Gödöllő. He had copies of the damaged pictures painted and also added to the collection portraits of the rulers from the century that had passed since the initial construction of the pavilion.
At the beginning of the royal period in 1867, the pavilion existed in this state and it could be visited by the public. However, following Queen Elisabeth's death in 1898, the portraits were transferred to the Royal Castle in Buda. Later on, fourten of them became property of the Hungarian National Museum but the wherebouts of the rest is still unknown. The building was reconstructed in 2002. The set of pictures has been recreated, by means of advanced photo technology. Engravings plus coloured and enlarged pictures based on other depictions have been placed next to the copies of the surviwing paintings. The Kinghill pavilion was reopened in December 2004.

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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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