Betliar Mansion - SNM Museum Betliar

Region: Region Košice
District: Rožňava
City / Municipality: Betliar
Tourist location: Gemer
National cultural Monument

Category: Mansions and palaces in Slovakia, Slovak National Museum

The Betliar Museum is a specialized art-history museum oriented on the development of the residences of the aristocracy in the 18th and 19th centuries with the exhibition in the Betliar manor-house, a mediaeval castle exhibition at Krásna Hôrka and the Mausoleum in the Krásnohorské Podhradie.

The attractive exhibitions are situated in the original historical buildings and premises are among the most important monuments of Slovakia. The exhibits come to a large extent from the estate and collections of the Andrássy family, their former owners. The museum, in line with its specialization, constantly supplements its collection. The Betliar Museum is situated in a national cultural monument – the former hunting manor-house of the Andrássy family, located in the extensive and romantic park in Betliar.

The collection fund of the Betliar Museum is formed by the exhibits coming mostly from the property and collections of the former owners, the Andrássy family. The collections contain mostly specimens of furnishings (furniture, pictures, and household furnishings). Another valuable feature is also the collection of weapons from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Furniture collections are represented mainly by English imperial style works from the first half of the 19th century and Viennese classical furniture from the second half of the 18th century.

The most valued exhibits include Gothic table from the 15th century from Bardejov, a Renaissance wedding chest from Kežmarok from the 16th century and suite with painted leather cover from 1714 from Spiš. Noteworthy is also the collection of paintings – portraits and landscapes from domestic and foreign painters such as Viktor Madarász, Antal Ligeti, Ľudovít Deák-Ébner, Július Benczúr, Bertalan Papp, Béla Spányi, Géza Mészöly, Žigmund Vajda, Mikuláš Barabáš, Karol Sterio, Anton Neogrády and Béla Pállik, etc. The historical library from the end of the 18th century has more than 18 000 volumes.

Betliar Mansion is under administration of Slovak National Museum (SNM) - Betliar Museum, which seats in administrative building in the area of mansion (municipality of Betliar).

Roman waterfall

Roman waterfall appertain to the most valuable buildings of the historical park in Betliar Castle. Large English park with an area of over 80 hectares founded aristocrat, freemason, count Leopold Andrássy at the end of 18th century. According to the list of organization ICOMOS it belongs to the most important historical gardens of the world.

Roman waterfall designed by Josef Bergmann as part of a unique water system during the second major adjustments park in the 20s of the 19th century. Waterfall in the appearance of ruins of the Roman aqueduct was built in 1823. The uniqueness of this building, besides to its look,is also fact that it is the tallest man-made waterfall in Slovakia, about 9 m high.

In the early 20th century, the swimming pool under the waterfall was enclosed by high cage and modified as menagerie, where Andrássy bred polar bears, it was the first breeding of polar bears in the world. In 2016 it was revitalized.