Schossberger Castle, Tura – Today’s BOTANIQ Castle of Tura

The town of Tura and its surrounding lands originally belonged to the Esterházy family. In 1869, the estate was purchased by Zsigmond Schossberger and his wife, Terézia Mayer von Gunthof, who envisioned a magnificent residence inspired by the famous châteaux of the Loire Valley. The castle was equipped with the most advanced technologies of its time, including central heating, electricity, thermal insulation, innovative mirror-based light wells, bathrooms with fresh artesian water on every floor, and even a food lift connecting the different levels. Outside, the landscaped park featured a rainwater-fed irrigation system, while its topography was deliberately designed to resemble the landscape of historic Greater Hungary. Construction was completed in 1883, a date still visible today on the weather vane atop the tower on the castle's northern façade. The Schossberger family used the estate primarily as a summer residence and hunting lodge, spending the rest of the year at their home in Budapest.

The castle was designed by Gyula Bukovics, a student of Miklós Ybl, one of the most renowned Hungarian architects of the era. For many years, it was widely believed that Ybl himself had designed the castle, but an 1885 issue of Vasárnapi Újság (Sunday Newspaper) clarified that Bukovics was the actual architect. This misconception is understandable, as Ybl was fully occupied at the time with the construction of the Hungarian State Opera House, although the two buildings do share certain architectural similarities.

In 1890, Zsigmond Schossberger (the son of Simon Vilmos) was granted the title of Baron by Emperor Franz Joseph, a distinction perfectly befitting such a magnificent residence. Zsigmond’s eldest son, Viktor, had two children, Viktor and Klára, better known as Clarisse. Clarisse was particularly fond of the castle at Tura, and it was here that she celebrated her wedding to Sir Basil Tangye. As a wedding present, she received a camera with which she photographed the castle inside and out. This remarkable collection of photographs later proved invaluable during the castle’s restoration, which began in 2016. Clarisse moved to England with her husband in 1924, the year of their marriage, but she returned to visit the castle several times. Her brother, the younger Viktor, was deported during the Second World War and lost his life while serving in forced labour.

After these events, Schossberger Castle was effectively left without an owner. During the Second World War, it was occupied first by German and later by Soviet troops, and for a time it also served as a Soviet military hospital. Its former splendour disappeared as the furnishings were destroyed or looted. From 1946 until 1973, the castle was converted into a primary school, a function that required substantial alterations to the original building. At this point, the past and present of Schossberger Castle become intertwined with the story of BOTANIQ Castle of Tura, through László Kókai, the castle’s butler, who also attended school here as a child. The following video, created by Dániel Csorba and the Avideo team, introduces the five-star BOTANIQ Castle of Tura. Acting as their host, Mr. Kókai guides them through the estate while sharing fascinating stories about both its history and its present-day life.