greeting

DEAR VISITOR,

Let us welcome you, the visitor of the Episcopal Palace in Sümeg on behalf of the National Heritage Protection and Development Nonprofit Ltd. (NÖF), as well as the National Palace and the National Castle Programme.

 

In the National Palace and the National Castle Programme, values are preserved with lasting solutions. Not only do we consider the restoration of historic buildings extremely important but also their rebirth; we strive to rehabilitate these structures not only physically, but also mentally.

 

The baroque Episcopal Palace at the foot of the castle hill welcomes visitors in its original splendour. The new exhibition in the building is based on an 18th-century story about the commissioner of the construction, Bishop Márton Padányi Biró, whose biography speaks volumes about the Baroque worldview. We can get a comprehensive picture of this era by exploring the bishop’s life of glory, art, creation, controversy, as well as his fall. Aside from the figure of Padányi, who conceived of the fresco cycle in Sümeg, we can also learn about the history of Viennese artist Franz Anton Maulbertsch, the “Rococo star painter” who created it; since the exhibition focuses on this fresco, which is located in the parish church of Sümeg. In the vibrant murals, mundane and extraterrestrial elements coexist. Personalisation of the two main characters – the bishop and the painter – is done in the palace in minute detail, sometimes in an eye-catching, other times in an astonishing, contemporary way. Visitors can explore the palace through hidden nooks, secret rooms, and disguised doors. The largest Rococo tiled stove in the country can be found upstairs, and the richly decorated library room, which also reveals Padányi’s portrait and displays the sciences, is a true art history curiosity. Further Baroque and Rococo experiences await visitors in the renovated Episcopal Palace in Sümeg throughout the exhibition.

 

Have a pleasant cultural experience!

dr. Zsolt Virág

Ministerial Commissioner responsible for the implementation of the National Palace and National Castle Programme – Prime Minister’s Office

 

Tamás Glázer

managing director
National Heritage Protection and Development Nonprofit Ltd. (NÖF)