Esterházy is an influential Hungarian noble family, which appeared in Galanta and its surroundings in the first half of the 15th century. They were one of the largest landowners in the Habsburg monarchy, acted as a support for the Habsburgs and held all the common functions in the monarchy. Galanta, located in the heart of the Matthew´s Land was an Esterházy estate and the family has kept its local roots and the suffix 'de Galantha' in its aristocratic surname for centuries. Members of this family built important architectural monuments in the town - two manor houses and a funeral chapel.
The Renaissance castle of the Esterházy family in Galanta
In the arms of a multi-storey panel building stands the so-called Renaissance castle, which has undergone several reconstructions over the centuries. Today, the original six-space Renaissance building is only reminded of its spatial layout and restored wall paintings of plants and heraldic paintings. The castle was built around 1600. The once defensive role is recalled by the fortification with a moat around the perimeter. In 1992 it was restored and opened to the public. Today it functions as a museum and gallery. There is also a ceremonial hall and the representative premises of the mayor of Galanta.
The Neo-Gothic castle of the Esterházy family in Galanta
A neo-Gothic castle rises in the surroundings of a city park on the outskirts of the town. The preserved inscriptions on the façade from 1633 and 1729 testify to its construction development. The last neo-Gothic reconstruction around 1860 gave it its present appearance. The reconstruction brought a significant change with rich romantic elements on the façade and in the interior. It was commissioned by the family of Jozef Esterházy, who was the last to occupy the manor house and is buried in the Esterházy chapel in the cemetery in Galanta. The architectural element of this mansion, the neo-Gothic tower, became the basis for the creation of the town coat of arms.
The north wing of the castle houses a gallery, an exhibition of gramophones and memorial rooms of Karol Duchoň and Zoltán Kodály. In the restored west tower, visitors can refresh themselves in a themed café and restaurant with a wine bar. The south tower was restored at the end of 2021 and provides a guided tour through the exhibition Galanta on a spiral through the centuries. The tower has been awarded with the FÉNIX - Cultural Monument of the Year 2022 award.
Neo-Gothic funeral chapel of the Esterházy family, Galanta
The chapel is a part of the old cemetery on Bratislavská Street in Galanta. It was built in 1871 and the family of Jozef Esterházy is buried in it, who was the last of this important family to inhabit the Neo-Gothic castle in Galanta. The funeral chapel was restored in 1998. Its interior is decorated with an oil painting entitled "The Crucifixion" and Baroque stone sculptures of St. Peter and St. Paul from 1741.
The Esterházy castle in Tomášikovo is a monumental Baroque-Classical complex with outbuildings in a park on the edge of the village. It was built by the Esterházy family in the 17th century. For a time it served as a peasant orphanage, then a correctional home and a private manufactory. Minor alterations were made to the building at the beginning of the 19th century, when the park was converted into an English park and supplemented with sculptures. More recent alterations date from the 20th century when part of the park was converted into a sports field. Near the castle is a park with several plane trees and massive deciduous trees from the time of Maria Theresa.
Veľká Mača Municipal Museum (at the Municipal Office) is one of the important outlying expositions of the Homeland Museum in Galanta. The exhibition is thematically divided into three parts. The most numerous are exhibits representing the development of the settlement of Veľká Mača and the wider surroundings. Mainly archaeological artefacts are exhibited. The objects come mainly from the well-known archaeological site of Mačianske vŕšky, where the oldest finds from the Middle Stone Age to the Middle Ages originate. The second part of the exhibition is dedicated to the modern history of the village, which focuses on the 19th and 20th centuries.
The House of Folk Housing Matúškovo - the heritage-protected house was built in 1847 and the ethnographic exposition was opened to the public in 1984. The exposition presents the way of folk living of the indigenous population of the village at the turn of the 19th and 20th century and the Slovaks coming here from the Lower Lands in 1947.
The House of Folk Housing in Velké Úľany is in the administration of the Homeland Museum in Galanta. The house was built in 1910. The three-space building presents the way of folk housing in south-western Slovakia at the beginning of the 20th century.
The steam mill in Dolné Saliby - It is located in the building of the former steam mill in the village of Dolné Saliby, which is an important technical monument of the region. The building is managed by the Museum of Homeland History in Galanta, which has installed a new exposition on the history of steam mills in the region. Other premises serve as offices and a depository for collections.
