Betliar Manor

Betliar was the Andrássy family's hunting seat, rebuilt in the nineteenth century and, unusually for Central Europe, never emptied: the library of some twenty thousand volumes, the hunting trophies, the furniture and the family's collections of curiosities are still in the rooms they were in. Around it is an English landscape park of some fifty hectares with follies, a waterfall and exotic trees planted through the nineteenth century.

History

The Bebek family built a small fortress here around 1441-1451, István Andrássy rebuilt the residence in the early 18th century, and it was greatly enlarged in 1792-1795, when the park was laid out. In the late 19th century it became a grand hunting lodge, and the Andrássy family owned it almost continuously until 1945 (Wikipedia, Betliar Mansion).

What to look for

• The intact interiors - rooms left as the family kept them, not reassembled.
• The library - around twenty thousand volumes in the original room.
• The collections - hunting trophies, weapons and curiosities from family travels.
• The English park - fifty hectares with follies, a waterfall and planted exotics.

When to go

April to October is the main season; winter hours are shorter and the park is bare. Tours run to set times. The park is at its best in late spring and autumn.

Before you go

Access is by guided tour on a fixed schedule and the tours are in Slovak with printed translations. Photography inside is charged. The park is large and needs an extra hour.

Nearby

Krasna Horka is south, and Roznava is south beyond it.

Key facts