| Betliar is a manor house which is located in 6 km to the North of Rožňava. The chateau that we can see nowadays was built by Stephan Andrássy who was a member of the famous Andrássy family. |
 |
In the entrance, the visitors have to pass by the Family Portrait Gallery where they can find a portrait of Stephan Andrássy who was the founder of the Betliar line of the family.
|
 |
 |
In this manor house, we can find lots of rooms and salons. Indeed, the visitors can admire the Gallery of Exotic Rarities where they can see an extraordinary exhibit of objects returned by the Andrássy family during their trip to Asia, Africa, Indonesia and Egypt. Visitors can also admire in the Inner Courtyard, lots of hunting trophies like the head of an African elephant, or crocodiles from the Nile. |
But there are lots of salons too, like the Red Reception Salon... |
|
|
... the Empire Room... |
... or the Golden Salon. |
The visitors can admire the big library of the chateau where 15 000 books are stored. |
 |
 |
As well as beautiful furniture like this wardrobe from the Majestic bedroom. |
|
 |
THE CASTLE HISTORY
The first written description of the village is from the year 1330, when it was known under the name Bethler. Originally it was a mining village. The most famous owners of Krasnohorske Dominium were the family line called Andrássy. They owned it from 1548 to 1945. During their rule they built a small manor house in a town of Betliar and brought here the production of iron ore. The manor house was rebuilt many times and it has had its form since the last reconstruction in 1886. It was made by the Count Emanuel I also called Iron Count because of his industry idea of mining iron ore. A Hungarian historian says that the village of Betliar was founded after the year 1291, but we can't say when precisely because there aren't any historical documents or reliable sources.
In the year 1985 Betliar Manor House was declared a national cultural monument. |
THE LEGEND OF BETLER |
It is said that one night an old beggar called Betler came to one of the houses of this mining village. People who lived in this house had to work very hard but they were generous and kind-hearted. They offered him a roof over his head in summer or in winter but under one condition: he had to work in the village or do something good for the villagers. He decided his task would be to protect the spring water of the village. This spring was the only source of drinking water for the whole region. A few years after his death people gave their small mining village the name of Betliar after the old beggar Betler.
|