History of the castle:

The 13th-century living Tower was built by Simon (Son of Salamon) among the swamps of the Sio river, (Hence the name: Simontornya = Simon's Tower).

The castle has had a number of different owners throughout the centuries, and nearly all of them made some alteretions. First the Lackfi's in the XIVth - century built a new gothic wing, altered the old Tower, and added an arcaded loggia to the back-front. Supposedly the outer defences were erected also in this period.

Following the Lackfi’s it has been owned by Filippo Scolari for a few years. Than came the Garai familyas new owner.

After the death of the last member of the Garai family, the castle passed again back to queen Beatrix, wife of Matthias Corvinus, in 1482.

The golden age of the castle came under the era of the Buzlay family. Mozes Buzlay, marshall of king Ulaslo, second, brought Italian masters and craftsmen from Buda, improving the castle into a renessaince palace, applying the latest architectural methods of his time.

Following the death of Buzlay, the castle soon fell into Turkish hands (1545). This was the beginning of an entirely new era, with special emphasis on military requirements only. During the nearly 150 years of Turkish occupation only minor alterations have been made on the castle.

Simontornya - the centre of the Turkish Simontornya Sandjak - was recaptured by Louis of Bayern in 1686.

In the early years of the XVIIIth century (1702-1704) major alteretions turned the castle into a fortress, thus destroying all reamaining beauty and glamour of the past.

During the revolution against the Habsburgs, led by Prince Rákóczi, Simontornya has became the stronghold of the rebells (kuruc) in Sout-west Hungary. The fortress fell to the Austrian army in 1709, and it was housing army troops untill 1717.

The castle fortress in the 1720's was donated to the Styrum-Limburg family, but soon they built a new a castle, and turned the old one into a barn.

Ever since it was used for the same purposes by a number of new owners upto 1960, when proper archeological excavations started.

After further excavations and restoration works from 1967 on, the castle - museum was opened to the public in 1975.

What the visitor can see today here, is a cross- section of architectural history of the last 700 years in Hungary.

On the ground-floor one can see objects and documents from the past of the castle.

The gallery on the first floor is showing portraits of nobilities of Tolna county (Courtesy of the Wosinsky Museum of Szekszárd).

The second and third floors of the gate-tower are hosting temporay fine arts exhibitions of contemporary artists.

1. Permanent exhibitions and architectural sights.

On the ground floor of the castle's east-wing are exhibited findings from the XIII-XVIth century such as: pottery, weapons, glazed tiles. Also here can be seen the first written document mentioning Simontornya Castle from 1347. Further documents are shown here proving the names of different landlords of the castle. In the second hall objects from the Turkish period can be seen.

Above the remainings of the north-wing in a modern building the stone - gallery is situated. Here are carved stone findings of the late gothic chapel and the hall of the knights, originated from 1508.

Pictures on the wall here show the process of excavations.

On the first floor of the gate-tower a unique renaissance fire place can be find. Similar ones stood once in royal palaces and castles of the aristocracy in the XVth-century. On the third floor another late gothic fire place has been restored.

The topmost story with gun-ports was built during the XVIIIth century's fortification.

1/a Portrait galeri of the nobility in Tolna county.

Hungarian aristocracy started to introduce their family portrait galleries from the mid XVIIth century. The golden age of these galleries was the XVIIIth century, but this tradition lived further as long as the mid 1850's.

The earliest painting exhibited is that of Antal Jeszenszky dated in 1746. This is bringing the charasteristic message of those times, emphasising the social importance of nobility better, than showing artistic qualities of the picture. Portraits of count Styrum-Lymburg and his wife from the end of the XVIIIth century are having much higher artistical values.

The full figure pictures with fine colour-effects of the Apponyi family are of exceptionally high quality of Hungarian XVIIIth-century portrait painting. The painter was Janos Mertz in 1780. The men are wearing Hungarian gala-dresses (worn by noblemen on special occasions), the women in French rococo gowns. György Apponyi and Antal Apponyi - father and son-both were Lord Lieutenants of Tolna-County.

Among the portraits of the Perczel family, that of Antal Perczel carries a special messege expressing the religiousness of the man better than the traditional heroism of  nobility.

The portraits of the Bezeredj family is a good example of the importance of family galleries in the mid XIXth-century as well.

Works of well known painters like János Donát (1744-1830), Mihály Kovács (1819-1892) and Alajos Giergl György (1821-63) can be seen among the lady - portraits of the gallery. Apart from the portraits, two paintings of different subjects are also exhibited from our collection: Gyula Benczúr's (1844-1920) "Bajor parasztkonyha", and Bálint Kis' (1802-1868) "Zrinyi kirohanása".

Director: Mrs. Maria Takács Endreffy

Open

From the Ist of April – 30th of September 30th

10 a.m. – 1 p. m.

2 p.m. – 5 p. m.

Closed on Monday

From the Ist of October- 31st. Of March

10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Closed on Sunday and Monday