Sárvár day 3: The castle
Friday June 28, 2013
Today's highlight was a late afternoon visit to Sárvár's castle. From the outside, in spite of its size, it is rather unassuming. The grounds are nicely kept but there is little flair and I didn't really expect anything much on the inside. But we were both pleasantly surprised by the elaborate interior. It was also nice that there weren't any other visitors there, we had the place completely to ourselves.
There were many long corridors with picture galleries, old maps, gun collections and the like, much too much detail for the amount of time we had before they closed. Much of it were things you could easily gloss over, even if you had more time.
Today's highlight was a late afternoon visit to Sárvár's castle. From the outside, in spite of its size, it is rather unassuming. The grounds are nicely kept but there is little flair and I didn't really expect anything much on the inside. But we were both pleasantly surprised by the elaborate interior. It was also nice that there weren't any other visitors there, we had the place completely to ourselves.
There were many long corridors with picture galleries, old maps, gun collections and the like, much too much detail for the amount of time we had before they closed. Much of it were things you could easily gloss over, even if you had more time.
Endless displays in Sàrvàr's castle
Were these dining halls or ballrooms, did the royalty give audiences here? These tracts must have been cold in the winter. I can hardly imagine that the stove in the corner, that elaborate white tower, generated enough heat for a room this size.
We were then encouraged to climb a narrow and dark staircase to the next story. Although they were now a bit shaky, the steps showed beautiful craftsmanship. They led to a smaller chamber, the walls and ceilings covered in frescoes and in good condition.
Smaller chamber a story higher
Back on the floor below, some reconstructed interiors, pieces of furniture, and glass and porcelain collections were displayed. For a small fee I was allowed to take pictures. Had I known I might have gone earlier to have more time and brought my tripod. I was particularly happy to be allowed to photograph as it gave me an opportunity to take some pictures I'd been after for a long time. Here there were plenty of oil paintings not under glass and I could get detail pictures of sky with visible brush strokes. I blend these with other shots, giving texture to the background. In the next four pictures I have added backgrounds using shots I took of the oil paintings.
Couldn't have been too comfortable
From the glass collection
The castle closed at five and the sun was shining so we took a little bike ride around Sárvár's outskirts and discovered a pretty lake and park. We also passed by the spa's outdoor facilities, empty because it was too cool. The indoor pools were all full, though.
Outdoor pools at the spa, almost empty due to cool weather
This coy water nymph towers over the spa facilities.