The Museum of Sárvár is now open 12 hours a day

It is rare, not only in Hungary, but also in Europe that a museum would open its doors to guests for 12 hours a day. However, we believe that it is not guests who are there for the museum, but the museum for its guests. Many have already decided to discover one of Europe’s most beautiful great halls in the Nádasdy Ferenc Museum, marvel at the furniture of the painted salons, find their birthplace on ancient maps, or imagine gazing from the tower windows how our city might have looked once.
In July and August we await our guests from 9 am to 9 pm. It is well worth visiting us, since the thick walls offer refuge from the heat even at the height of summer, and provide a comfortable temperature on rainy days. Exciting art objects and halls decorated with frescoes invite you to explore over 1300 square meters. Start your day with us and discover the most beautiful and oldest building in Sárvár, or if you are worn out from an afternoon at the spa, come visit us in the evening hours to discover why life is relaxed here, in five-star Sárvár.
 
The Nádasdy Ferenc Museum has been presenting permanent and temporary exhibitions laid out over 1300 square meters of the castle building to visitors for over half a century. 

The most beautiful room of the castle and the museum is the great hall constructed by Ferenc Nádasdy III. The ceiling frescoes, which were completed in 1653, depict the battles fought between 1591 and 1602 by Ferenc Nádasdy II, the famous ”Black Captain”, the hero of the wars against the Turks. In 1769 the lord of the castle, Ádám Szily commissioned paintings of Old Testament scenes in a Baroque style from the painter Stephen Dorffmaister. These paintings depict the stories of David and Goliath, Samson and Delilah, Judith and Holophernes, amongst others. The 17^th century two-wing cabinet decorated with marble inlay and gilding that stands in the great hall was purchased by the museum from the Ocskay family. 

The museum also holds a diverse collection of industrial arts. The salons showcase the art of furniture through the centuries. The treasure of the Wittelsbachs, hidden in the castle, as well as their silverware and painted porcelains are popular highlights of the museum. The cut and painted glass objects of the historical glassware exhibit include the handwashing basin of Emperor Franz Joseph, the beer glass of Tsar Nicholas II, and the liqueur glass designed by József Rippl-Rónai.

This collection is the only independent exhibit on Hussars in Europe open to visitors. Our visitors can learn about the establishment and centuries-long history of the ”most Hungarian” of combat arms. 16-20^th century weapons, everyday objects, garments, paintings and photographs are showcased in the vitrines. The richest segment of material mementoes encompasses the period between the age of Dualism and the Second World War. This is where the collection of swords bequeathed to the museum by Lajos  Sárvári is displayed, presenting magnificent weapons from the 17-20^th centuries. 

The exhibit on the history of maps presents original maps from the 16-18^th centuries, which depict Hungary and its surroundings. In addition to the map of Pannonia by the ancient Greek astronomer Ptolemy, printed in the 1520’s, maps from notable Hungarian and European mapmakers are also on display. It is interesting to note how directions, boundaries, and the depiction of topography become perfected with the development of cartography. Each map is also an independent work of art.