The history of the Száraz-Rudnyánszky Mansion of Nagytétény
The Száraz-Rudnyánszky Mansion of Nagytétény is one of the outstanding monuments of Hungarian late Baroque architecture, one of the "Grassalkovich-style" castles. Laid out an a trapezoid or A-shape, the building has a north-facing frontage on the cour d'honneur decorated with a Baroque programme. As was the vogue at the time, it is somewhat theatrical, with ledges, pilasters, columns and niches providing a play of light an shade. Refined architectural sculpture forms a fitting crown for the building: the central projection has a dome-like roof and a pediment bearing the coat of arms of the Száraz and Rudnyánszky families.
Its history goes back to classical times and almost forms an analogy of Hungarian history. In the 1st and 2nd centuries there was a Roman villa rustica or farmhouse on the site. In the Middle Ages, the remains of the villa were incorporated into the foundations of the castle, and the round stone of its west gate can still be seen in the castle's cellar. It is thought that the core of the present castle, the Gothic castle incorporating the Roman remains, was built during the 13th century for the local landowning Tétény family, who were related to the House of Árpád. Built in an irregular quadrilateral, it had a two-storey residential range on its east (Danube-facing) side and a door flanked by towers on the west side. Around 1309, it came into the possession of Palatine Lőrinc Tétény Hédervári, Castellan of Buda, and his family retained it for more than two centuries. During that time, the residential range along the south wall was extended in an L shape.
During the century and a half (1541-1686) of the Ottoman occupation, Tétény belonged to the Buda sanja, under the direct authority of the Sultan. The building was occupied by high-ranking Turkish officers. In 1686, the castle was awarded to Captain Ferenc Buchingen for his heroic deeds in the war of liberation, but it was later mortgaged and acquired by György Száraz.
György Száraz was the king's chief justice, later raised to a baron. He started farming in Tétény in 1716 and embarked on the reconstruction and expansion of the castle. Retaining the original outlines of the medieval castle, he built a new single-storey linking range on the north side, along the castle wall, and an extension range on the south up to the south-east corner turret. This resulted in a square block layout with an internal courtyard. He also built vaulted stables parallel with the south wall of the castle.
After György's death, his son-in-law Jósef Rudnyánszky became the new owner, who oversaw a protracted exterior and interior rebuilding which lasted until 1778 and transformed the castle into a grand aristocratic residence. It was also during his time that the grand staircase and the cour d'honneur facade embracing the two-storey-high grand hall were built. The walls of the rooms were adorned with al secco decorations which can still be seen in the upper storey.
