Hédervár
Encyclopedia
Description
The village settled in the Szigetköz in Győr-Moson-Sopron country halfway along the road connecting Győr and Mosonmagyaróvár. Its emergence can be associated with the German Héder – the founder of the Héderváry family – moving to Hungary. It was first mentioned in a charter in 1210.In spite of the relatively late written mention it is certain that it had been a village centuries before. It may have been the only village in the Szigetköz
Szigetköz
The Szigetköz is an island plain in Western Hungary, part of the Little Hungarian Plain. The name literally means island alley, because the territory is located on an island. Its borders are the Danube and its branches; with a length of 52.5 km, with an average width of 6–8 km, and with...
, which has survived at its original location in the Arpad
Árpád
Árpád was the second Grand Prince of the Hungarians . Under his rule the Hungarian people settled in the Carpathian basin. The dynasty descending from him ruled the Hungarian tribes and later the Kingdom of Hungary until 1301...
ian age.
The Héderváry family established a family centre on the so-called “Jewish hill” as early as in the 13th century. It started to flourish at an early time, and its castle was also further extended, and the “Boldogasszony” chapel (Blessed Virgin), its family funeral place was also built in the first half of the following century. A charter issued in 1443 already recorded the settlement as on oppidum.
Favourable development was halted by the appearance of the Turks in Hungary. The situation of the oppidum was further worsened by the borrowings of the Héderváry family, and also by the fact that Lőrinc, the Ban
Ban (medieval)
The ban was a political and territorial institution in the Frankish kingdoms, meaning a grant of power to command men. Following its civil, military or religious meanings, it ended up as a metonym for territory where such a grant applied...
of Nándorfehérvár left the fortress during the Turkish siege of 1521.
This was coupled by the fact that the family did not recognize the political power structures in Western Transdanubia
Transdanubia
Transdanubia is a traditional region of Hungary.-Traditional interpretation:The borders of Transdanubia are the Danube river , the Drava and Mura rivers and the foothills of the Alps roughly along the border between Hungary and Austria .Transdanubia comprises the counties of Győr-Moson-Sopron,...
, and during the pretenders’ struggle for the throne, trey supported the loser János Szapolyai against Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558 and king of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 until his death. Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.The key events during his reign were the contest...
. Their series of bad decisions resulted in the loss of their estates and also Hédervár in Szigetköz
Szigetköz
The Szigetköz is an island plain in Western Hungary, part of the Little Hungarian Plain. The name literally means island alley, because the territory is located on an island. Its borders are the Danube and its branches; with a length of 52.5 km, with an average width of 6–8 km, and with...
. Their propertys were given to the Bakics family from Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
.
The first thing the new owners did was to ruin the centre of the Héderváry family, and to forcefully spread the new faith of the Protestant religion.
The settlement suffered a terrible blow by the unsuccessful Siege of Vienna
Siege of Vienna
The Siege of Vienna in 1529 was the first attempt by the Ottoman Empire, led by Suleiman the Magnificent, to capture the city of Vienna, Austria. The siege signalled the pinnacle of the Ottoman Empire's power, the maximum extent of Ottoman expansion in central Europe, and was the result of a...
by the Turks in 1529. After their retreat, Lőrinc Héderváry, who supported the wrong side, was captured, and could only regain his estates with the support of his lord, Ferdinánd I.. After he was freed in 1535. He immediately set about reconstructing the Héderváry family’s centre, and the castle was completed in 1578.
The resettlement of the estate could only become successful by the joint efforts of the Héderváry, Révay
Révay
The Révay Family was a Hungarian noble family, who owned estates in Turóc county, the Kingdom of Hungary until the early 20th century. Their property included i.a...
and Czobor families after 1600.
After the resettlement, the settlement was further afflicted by the plundering Haiduks, and Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, the second lost campaign of the Turks in the 1683 Battle of Vienna
Battle of Vienna
The Battle of Vienna took place on 11 and 12 September 1683 after Vienna had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months...
, the floods of the Danube, and the epidemics.
Its situation at the time was further aggravated by the forceful counter-reformation
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
. István Héderváry strengthened the castle in 1643, and the palatine
Palatine
A palatine or palatinus is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times...
once again endowed the privilege of an oppidum upon the settlement.
(18th-20th century events)
From 1983 till 1997 the chateaux gave home for artists (sculpture, painters) creating house. At present, the building is the property of Hungarian Creative Artist Public Foundation, and is functioning as a Hotel.
Castle Hotel Hédervár
Castle Hotel Hedervar is located between Györ and Mosonmagyarovar, only 50 Minutes from Vienna Airport, 45 Minutes from BratislavaBratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
and 1,5 hours from Budapest. The castle hotel offers a renaissance atmosphere where you can spend unforgettable days. The four-star castle hotel can be easily reached from Vienna, Bratislava and from Budapest on the M1 motorway. From the motorway you have to take Exit 142 (Lébény). Then it is only about 15 km drive on the country road to Hédervár.