In the presence of government commissioner Dr. Ferenc Zumbok the completion of the first phase of the touristic development of the Esterházy Palace in Fertőd has been announced. The costs comprising a total of 1,56 billion HUF were covered by the New Széchenyi Plan.

The aim was to achieve touristic development of the palace along with the reconstruction of its environment in order to significantly raise the number of visitors. For this purpose the project has also aimed at establishing cultural, logistic, entertainment and touristic infrastructure in addition to the partial reconstruction of the monument.

In this first phase the reconstruction of some parts of the facade, some exhibition halls, the staircases and the formal courtyards have been realized. Moreover, a new car park has been built for the visitors, and the building of the puppet theatre, which can be found in the palace, has been renewed, and new equipments have been purchased to enhance the experience of the visitors.

The nearly 2-billion-HUF contract of sponsorship for the second phase of the reconstruction, which will also be completed in the framework of the New Széchenyi Plan, was signed by Mr. Géza Szőcs, Minister of State for Culture in March. In the second phase the palace itself and its environment will be restored and a new reception building will be raised. The second phase is expected to be ready in the first quarter of 2013.

(State Secretariat for Culture)