The Palace was built on medieval ruins by the Archbishop of Esztergom Josef Batthyány based on the model of M.Hefele sometime between 1777 and 1781. The Baroque-Classical four-floor and four-winged palace with a monumental three-nave overpass has got entertainment rooms and lounges on the first floor, among which the most considerable one is the Hall of Mirrors. In this hall, the Peace of Pressburg was signed in 1805 after the Battle of Austerlitz between France and Austria. On behalf of Napoleon Bonaparte the Peace was signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Talleyrand and on behalf of the Austrian Empire it was signed by Prince Johann Joseph of Lichtenstein. The Palace ceased to be the residency of the Archbishop of Esztergom after the Archbishop’s return to Esztergom in 1820. In 1902 the municipality bought the building and joined it to the City Hall complex. After a total renovation the Primate’s Palace hosts today a large part of the city art collection. Special attention deserves particularly the Hall of Mirrors, created by linking several rooms lined with mirrors and damask carpets. Another peak shows a collection of English tapestries from the seventeenth century, which were found during the reconstruction in 1903. It shows the tragic story of Hero and Leander.
Heritage > National cultural monuments
