Festetics Palace

Kristóf Festetics chose Keszthely as the centre of his estates and began building a palace on the manor's grounds. The central, eastern wing of the present building dates from this construction period (1745–1750). The Baroque, single-storey, U-shaped palace had only very slightly projecting side wings and, according to the inventory of the time, comprised 34 rooms. In the central axis of the building, on the ground floor, was the carriage passage, and above it the grand dining hall.

Several expansion plans were drawn up as early as Kristóf's time, and later under his son, Pál Festetics III, but these were never realised. The plans aimed to extend the wings of the U and showed wing sections joining the ends of these in an L shape.

The reconstruction of the palace was finally begun by Pál's son, György Festetics I, in 1792. Of the two rearward-extending wings of the planned U shape, only the southern, library wing was built, in a Classicising late Baroque (Zopf) style. The interior works lasted until 1804. Today, the great library, the former archive beneath it (the marble hall) and the chapel best preserve the expansion from György's era.

The next major rebuilding and expansion of the palace was carried out by Tasziló Festetics II between 1883 and 1887, in a Historicist (Neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo) style. He had the central, eastern wing extended, and the northern wing was finally completed, which served to house the ballrooms and the guest suites. The tower was also built at this time. The entire building was covered with a new mansard roof and equipped with central heating and plumbing. Together with the remodelling of the façades and the interiors – primarily the staircases – the palace acquired its present form at this time.
The park of the Festetics Palace is a nature conservation area. In the palace park stand the palm house and the former carriage house that hosts the carriage exhibition, while opposite the rear exit of the park is the new building housing the hunting exhibition and the historic model railway exhibition. Near the palace, in Kastély utca, stands the Amazon House Visitor Centre.