Tata castle

The first known mention of Tata is from 1221. Initiated by the Lackffy family, construction of the castle began at the end of the 1300s. It has continually been built and rebuilt ever since. One of Tata’s gems today, it had its glory days as a royal summer residence during the reign of King Sigismund of Luxembourg and that of King Matthias Hunyadi. During the Ottoman occupation, the castle of Tata was an important fortress. It was captured in 1543 by the Turks. During this period the castle had many different owners until it was burned down by the Habsburgs in retaliation for the Rákóczi’s War of Independence. Thanks to the Esterházy family, one-time residents of the castle, the building today reflects the stylistic features of the romantic period. The Domokos Kuny Museum has been operating in the castle building since 1954. In addition to the collection of the Piarist (Tata-Tóváros) Museum founded in 1912, it houses mainly Bronze and Roman Age archeological finds together with exhibits related to natural history, local history, decorative and applied art as well as home and international ethnography, including fine products from Tata’s faience manufacture. Our 3D reconstructions can be seen both at the site and on the webpage of the museum.