Gímes Forgách Castle
Building, structure
The single-storey Baroque castle was built in 1722 by Count Pál Forgách, bishop of Nagyvárad and later of Vác, and was expanded between 1760 and 1770. During the later reconstructions of the building, in the last third of the 18th century, the eastern wing was supplemented with a central projection and a terrace facing the park. In the middle of the projection peak stood a half-length Madonna with reliefs of the castles of Szklabonya and Gímes on both sides. The coat of arms below the reliefs reads: STA VIRGO CONSTANS NEC TEMERATO FIDEM (Our Lady, do not let the faith be desecrated). It reached its present form at the beginning of the 20th century. ; In 1868-69, a mouflon farm was founded, the herd of which was released into the wild in 1883 and its herds still inhabit the surrounding mountains today. The Forgáchs were passionate hunters and their collection in the castle was decorated with 1756 antler trophies. Particularly valuable in the collection of works of art were the paintings of the Venetian master Francesco Trevisani, the works of Max Pfeiler, the court painter of the Duke of Savoy, the works of Paul Hemling and others. In the chapel of the castle there was a Madonna, as well as some other valuable old sculptures and an altar. ; The Forgách family lived in Gímes until 1919. The last Forgách moved to the Balaton mansion and distributed part of his estate among the residents. ; In 2009, the village of Gímes renovated one of the wings of the Forgách castle for 220,000 euros, which today functions as a museum and was named the Forgách Museum after its former owners.