A run-down castle in the village of Hatvan, Hungary has been given a new lease of life. Thanks to ERDF-funding, a hunting museum and gardens have been constructed in the castle complex, making the castle a major tourist attraction.
- 21 December 2015
The renovated Grassalkovich castle’s hunting museum and grounds are unique and have given the village of Hatvan a great opportunity to flourish. A lot is on offer for visitors including science, hunting and fishing as well as many cultural and community events.
The project resulted in completely reconstructing the decaying historical property – Grassalkovich castle, its land and adjoining buildings. The castle now houses a museum that showcases Hungary’s long tradition of hunting, fishing and forestry in various high-tech and interactive exhibitions.
The museum, known as “Széchenyi Zsigmond Vadászat”, has a total surface area of 4 700 m2. Of this, 3 100 m2 is devoted to the exhibition space and to visitor facilities. The museum can today hold up to 300 people at any one time.
Painstaking reconstruction
During the renovation, the baroque spatial-structure was reconstructed along with the banqueting hall, baroque stairway and ceiling, as well as the wall stuccos of the doorway. The architects created a two-level exhibition space in the former west wing, with one of the biggest dioramas in Europe. Structural problems were repaired with high tech engineering being carried out.
Alongside the castle’s reconstruction, its former gardens have also been revamped. Here, visitors can learn from first-hand experience how to set traps or even hunt with a bow and arrow. There is also a hunting practise course, which is regularly used by hunting dogs and their owners.
Bringing tourists to the region
A notable increase in tourist numbers has been recorded. Already in 2015, the castle received 52 000 visitors. The owners predict this figure to rise to 56 000 by year’s end.
As well as attracting more tourists, the town centre and other parts of the city have benefited from the works, with new parks, apartments and other developments appearing.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the “Establishment of Széchenyi Zsigmond Carpathian Basin Hungarian Hunting Museum - reconstruction and utilisation for tourism purposes of the Grassalkovich Castle of Hatvan” project is EUR 10 149 992 of which the EU’s European Regional Development Fund is contributing EUR 8 627 493 from the Operational Programme “North Hungary” for the 2007 to 2013 programming period.