Esterházy Palace, Bratislava

Esterházy Palace can be found on the banks of the exquisite Danube River. Designed in the Neo-Renaissance architectural style, the structure was erected in the 1870s for one of the country’s aristocracy. Because of general wear, fire damage and specific needs when it was taken over by the Slovak National Gallery in recent years, the building has gone through several reconstructions in the 1920s and 1950s. The facility is used for several exhibits which are overseen by the Slovak National Museum, which is the largest museum of its kind in this region. Esterházy Palace is just one of 18 facilities managed by the National Gallery with the purpose of providing the public with information pertaining to the history of this beautiful country. Currently, the Ministery of Culture and Tourism of the Slovak Republic have offices in this building. The Ministry is the state agency responsible for the preservation of national history, national language, Slovak culture and the arts. The institution was named after the Esterházy family, which was a powerful Hungarian noble family, that dates back to the Middle Ages. The family owned a lot of land and several extravagant palaces throughout Europe. The clan continued to maintain titles and influence well into the early part of the 1900s.