Forgách Castle of Szécsény

Nearly 2,000 plant species were introduced into the English garden, many of which were later cultivated there³. The greenhouse contained rare exotic plants such as cacao mallow, dragon tree, Arabian coffee, hibiscus, Caribbean spider lily, blue agapanthus, and ice plants. The park itself featured green maple, tree of heaven, catalpa, ash trees, and maidenhair trees (ginkgo). Behind the castle, ornamental lakes were created and stocked with fish, while ducks and swans made the area their home. An artificial grotto constructed from basalt stones added yet another romantic feature to the landscape.

József Forgách married Countess Mária Koháry, and together they had seven children. Their son Pál (1794–1854) and his wife Mária Lipthay inherited the castle⁴. As the family's financial resources gradually diminished, they sold the Szécsény estate in 1846 to Ferenc Pulszky—archaeologist, one of the pioneers of Hungarian archaeological excavations, State Secretary, and later Director of the Hungarian National Museum. Following the political events of 1848, Pulszky was forced into exile, and his estates were confiscated by the state. The former family residence subsequently served as a hospital, a district administrative office, and later a tax office. Virtually no funds were invested in maintenance, and when the castle was returned to the family in 1867, it was already in poor condition. Pulszky's son Ágost and his wife Hermina Fidor used the castle as their summer residence. Around 1900, it was sold to attorney Jenő Gross, who rarely occupied the property, spending most of his time in Budapest. After being sold for one million gold pengő, the estate came into the possession of Béla Lipthay, a renowned lepidopterist (butterfly researcher). The Lipthay family had also owned estates around Szécsény, and through marriage had once been connected to the castle, as Pál Forgách's wife was Mária Lipthay. During the Second World War, Hungarian, German, and Soviet troops were all stationed in the castle at different times, and it also served as a military hospital. The cellar became a refuge for approximately 300 local residents seeking shelter from the advancing front. In the post-war years, mushrooms were cultivated in the basement, followed later by a dairy and cheese factory. The former greenhouse was destroyed by bombing, and the owners lacked the financial means to restore the damaged structures. Although the Lipthay family escaped both persecution and the nationalisation of their personal property, they were eventually compelled to sell the castle and its surrounding lands to the Hungarian state in the late 1960s. The first major restoration took place between 1969 and 1977, followed by further restoration campaigns in 2005 and 2017.