- Noémi Vizi
- Photos: Soós Bertalan
- Reading time: 4 minutes
The Castle in Bajna, Transformed by Sándor Móric, the “Devil Rider”, for Love
The history of the Classicist-style castle in Bajna is truly eventful, just like the story of the Sándor family itself. After its 18th-century reconstruction, the castle experienced its golden age, which became closely linked with the legend of the “Devil Rider”. In the decades following nationalisation, however, the building was declared dangerously unsafe. Fully renovated and reopened in 2021, the castle once again shines in its former splendour. Now we explore its fascinating history.
Sándor Móric inherited the estates of the Sándor family in 1819, at the age of 17, after losing his father to pneumonia. His parents had protected their son from every possible hardship, especially because his elder brother had died, leaving Móric as the only person who could continue the Sándor family line. His education was rather incomplete, so he began studying independently. He was extremely curious, open-minded and diligent, and in a short time he mastered both Italian and French. He also demonstrated considerable musical talent: he played the piano and the zither, and even composed songs. His father had raised him with great strictness, so it is understandable that after his death the young count finally felt free to discover the world.
He also became acquainted with horse riding as a young adult, although his father, Vince Sándor, had also been passionate about horses. He founded the Gyarmat stud farm and in 1802 established the stables behind the castle. (Indeed, if the Dear Reader is reminded of the Sándor Palace in Buda Castle and its former riding hall, the assumption is correct: the predecessor of today’s Office of the President of Hungary was built by Vince Sándor of Bajna and his family.) Because the young count was considered too precious to risk injury — including from horses — he was not allowed near them. Yet he had always longed to ride. Around the age of 18, he mounted a horse for the first time, and his God-given talent immediately became apparent. He passionately developed his skills and performed increasingly daring feats on horseback. In 1831, he sold the Sándor Palace in Buda, which was later acquired by the Pallavicini family. He invested the money gained from the sale into his passion for riding.
According to legend, he earned the nickname “Devil Rider” in England after taming an exceptionally wild horse. Countless stories are associated with his extraordinary figure. It was said that he arrived at balls by riding his horse up the staircase, living up to his nickname; that he drove a four-horse carriage down the narrow steps of Buda Castle; that during winter ice floes he jumped across the Danube with a carriage full of passengers; that he leapt from balconies on horseback; and that he appeared at as many as three balls in a single night — one can only imagine the incredible speed at which he travelled. According to another famous story, he jumped over the carriage of Leontine Metternich with his horse in Vienna’s Prater. The daughter of the powerful Chancellor Metternich immediately fell in love with the Devil Rider, and theirs became a true love story.
Returning to the story of Móric Sándor, the fate of the Devil Rider was also determined by an injury he suffered while riding. In 1850, he sustained a severe head injury during one of his stunts, and afterwards he was never the same again. He lived under constant medical supervision for another 28 years.
Decades later, during the Second World War, the last descendants of the Metternich-Sándor family left the castle in the 1940s. In 1944, Metternich-Sándor Clementine fled to Switzerland. In December of that year, Soviet troops entered the area and began looting the castle. The greatest damage was caused by the German counteroffensive in January, which was accompanied by the complete plundering and destruction of the building. The castle was used as a military hospital, and corpses were even stored in the chapel. In every possible way, the dignity of the Sándor–Metternich Castle of Bajna was brought to ruin. After the war, the building became an agricultural cooperative, then a machinery station and later an aluminium production facility. It also housed Hungary’s only institution for training female tractor drivers. The once magnificent English landscape garden was cut apart, and a public road was built through it. Between 1967 and 1972, a local history exhibition operated in the castle, but only for a short time because the building had become dangerously unsafe.
