Hungary’s grandest Rococo monument, the Esterházy Palace of Fertőd, which was built by the incredibly wealthy aristocratic Esterházy family, got its final form in the second half of the 18th century. The palace had an important role in the era’s musical evolution because the legendary Joseph Haydn spent almost two decades at the palace, making it the birthplace of several of his operas and symphonies. As the Esterházy princes were great patrons of the arts, this luxurious baroque palace became one of the main cultural centers of Hungary, which is why the palace was given the nickname the Hungarian Versailles. During the 18th and 19th century the Esterházys would welcome hundreds of guests at a time to luxurious soirees at this palace, which still counts as one of Europe’s biggest Rococo palaces with its 126 rooms. It has a large banquet room, a vast library and its central room is exceptionally ornate. Over the years, parts of the building were burnt to ruins, but many parts are currently undergoing renovation and restoration.
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The palace was used as an 18th century Viennese palace in the 1994 film called Mesmer, featuring Alan Rickman. In 2002 it doubled as a French palace during the Napoleonic Era in the series Napóleon starring Gerard Depardieu, John Malkovich and Christian Clavier. Progressive Productions visited this beautiful palace many times, for instance when the team produced a Louis Philippe campaign photo shoot here.