Fertöd Palace Garden
Fertöd/Esterháza Palace is situated at the south-eastern end of Lake Neusiedl. The palace and the park were built for the Esterházy family in the 18th century. After a visit to Versailles, Prince Nikolaus I. decided to build a similar palace, and indeed, the palace later came to be known as the “Hungarian Versailles” – in 1766, Esterháza Palace was the most glorious palace in Hungary.
The baroque basic structure of the park is still perceptible today, although the details of its design have disappeared in the course of the centuries. Today, the area around the palace is mainly designed in the style of the turn from the 19th to the 20th century, which was the last heyday of garden culture in Fertöd. Today, the park is owned by the Hungarian state.
The park, which is made up of gardens, pleasure grounds and woods, is today some 500 acres (about 200 hectares) in extent. Its layout is determined by a ‘goosefoot’ of 3 vistas that radiate out from the central balcony of the palace. Cutting across the parterre and then the ancient woods (called ‘Lés’ Forest), they take the eye out into the countryside beyond.
