About the museum

Mission and History of the Museum

Mission 

The museum manages the former residences and collections of the Andrassy family; this includes the Betliar Manor House, Krásna Hôrka Castle and the Andrassy Mausoleum in Krásnohorské Podhradie. The Andrassy family was one of the most important aristocratic families in 19th century Europe.     

History 

The Betliar Manor House was built on the place on which the Renaissance manor house from the 17th or early 18th century had stood. It is one of the few noble residences in Slovakia with its original furniture. From 1881 to 1886, under Count Emanuel I. Andrássy, the residence served mainly as a hunting seat and a museum of his rich collections. The renovations were mainly inspired by English countryside manor houses and aspects of French architecture.

Krásna Hôrka Castle, formerly part of medieval fortifications, suffered fire damage in 2012 and is currently closed due to ongoing reconstruction.

The Andrassy Mausoleum in Krásnohorské Podhradie, a unique monument built in 1903 – 1904, is the result of the work of representatives of the Munich Jugendstil and features early Christian and early oriental art elements. It serves as the final resting place of Count Denés Andrássy and his wife.  

The beginnings of the Krásna Hôrka castle premises for museum purposes can be traced to 1857, when Count Juraj Andrássy established an ancestral museum there. In 1904, the castle part of the museum was expanded when Count Denés Andrássy established a museum in memory of his wife Franciska Hablawetz consisting of her personal belongings. The final members of the Betliar branch of the Andrássy family abandoned their property in 1944. After World War II, the Czechoslovak Republic took over the administration of the Manor House and the surrounding premises, and the museum in Betliar was made public in 1953 after becoming part of the Slovak network of museums. Since 1996, it is part of the Slovak National Museum. Krásna Hôrka Castle and the Andrássy Mausoleum in Krásnohorské Podhradie are also branch expositions of the SNM.