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How to
get there?
By car
From Budapest, take M3 highway. Take exit at
Mezokovesd. At Mezokovesd, go on Bogacs direction, the next village is
Noszvaj
By bus
Take direct bus from Budapest Stadion station to
Eger. Change line at Eger to Noszvaj.
Wine
tasting
Hills walking
Noszvaj
is
only 12 kilometres away from Eger,
situated next to the Bükk National Park, on the gentle southern slope of the
Bükk mountains, in the valley of the Kánya Creek. Visitors are attracted by the
picturesque scenery, the clean air, the thermal bath in the neighbouring village
of Bogacs, the close proximity of Eger and last but not least the
village's own baroque-style castle and the adjoining recreational and
educational centre
Noszvaj was one of the villages belonging to the Eger
bishopric as early as 1248. The late baroque-style castle, a miniature
masterpiece of Hungarian castle architecture, was built by Baron Sámuel Szepessy
between 1774 and 1778. Szepessy, heavily indebted due to the construction works,
had to sell the nearly completed castle to Baron Anna Vécsey and her family. As
it happened, the castle was named after neither its builder nor its first owner
but after Anna Vécsey's second husband, a French-born marquis - everyone calls
it de la Motte Castle. The reason is probably that the fine wall paintings
inside the building were commissioned by the marquis and their style gives the
rooms a French atmosphere.
Inside the castle
From the main street of
the village through a corrugated iron gate visitors can enter the French-style
garden, bordered by the main facade of the castle and two wings built later, in
the shape of a U. A few steps lead to the bower-painted sala terrana on the
ground floor. An elegant flight of stairs lead upstairs, where the ceiling of
the hall is decorated with the painting of János Lukács Kracker depicting
Aurora's triumph and the wall paintings show architectural caricatures of Roman
gods. The centre door leads to the main lounge, where painted niches of side
walls have stone vases decorated with flowers, and paintings on the ceiling
celebrate wine drinking. The reception room and another one, named Roman Room
after its wall paintings, are to the left. Next to them is the loveliest room of
the castle, the Bird Room; its unique features are the wall paintings of
colourful exotic birds by Antal Lieb and its painted chandelier. The castle
being symmetrical, similar rooms open to the right, housing an exhibition of
trophies. The De la Motte Castle now functions as a museum.
More
attractions :
Wine cellars
Caves - usable as houses, these caves were built
into the soft riolit.
