Attractions 

BÉLA CASTLE – Château Béla

Located 10 km from Párkány, the village of Béla lies in a valley of the Bélai Hills.

In 1735, historian Mátyás Bél wrote: "The remains and ruins that still exist today show what a remarkable creation the house must have been in the past."

In 1770, General András Török married the widow of János Terstyánszky's son and began an ambitious construction project in Béla. He commissioned master builder Jakab Mayer to expand the castle, which was designed in the style of rural French Baroque architecture. The construction started with a chapel, which, with its elaborate Baroque interior, was large enough to be considered a church. It was consecrated in 1780. Beneath it, in 1864, a later owner, Antal Baldácsy, built a Classical-style crypt. The rest of the castle was completed in 1874.

After András Török's death, his widow, Éva Bormasztini, sold the estate and castle to Count Pál Szerdahelyi. In 1834, through marriage, the estate passed into the hands of the Corsican-origin Baldacci (or Baldácsy) family.

Upon acquiring the estate, Antal Baldácsy expanded the building almost into a fortress, surrounding it with walls and a moat, maintaining a personal guard, and becoming a de facto feudal lord of the region. His strict rule often led to conflicts with county authorities, who accused him of abusing feudal rights and mistreating serfs. He reportedly drove officials away or even imprisoned them in the castle's dungeons, where not only soldiers and peasants but even nobles—and allegedly his own wife—were held.

Despite his notorious reputation, Baldácsy furnished the castle with extraordinary luxury, rivaling princely palaces. In 1912, Géza Dvilahy described the interior:
"The immensely wealthy lord had his palace, surrounded by a vast park, decorated by renowned painters of the era. The classical and mythological frescoes remain intact today. The furniture, made from cedar, mahogany, and ebony, was designed with gold inlays and artistic marquetry. The old master craftsmanship seen in these works is unparalleled. The castle was filled with priceless rarities from distant lands—Chinese and Japanese antiques, furniture, weapons, and treasures. Its gallery was among the richest collections of old masters' paintings."

In 1880, the Baldácsy family sold the estate to their banker, Jakab Pelmütter, who, in 1892, sold it—furnished—to Zsigmond Bródy. Bródy later financed the construction of a new school in the village.

The last owners of the estate were the Ullmann baronial family. Adolf Ullmann purchased the castle in 1910, and after his death in 1925, it passed to his son, György Ullmann. In 1939, György commissioned the St. Christopher monument along the road leading from Muzsla to Béla, as a thanksgiving for surviving a carriage accident. In 1945, he was forced to flee the country with his daughter Erzsébet, who now lives in Switzerland.

In the 1910s, the castle underwent a significant eclectic-style renovation, but its furnishings from the Baldácsy era remained intact until World War II.

After the war, the castle served as an agricultural school for two years, then as a reformatory. From 1990, it was abandoned and fell into such disrepair that it became dangerous to enter.

The German Countess Ilona von Krockow and Count Matthias von Krockow later restored the castle, and in 2007, it hosted a grand wedding for 200 guests. Yvonne von Krockow married Gonzalo Mahou, with the wedding ceremony held in the Esztergom Basilica.

8141 – EuroVelo 6 – Muzsla – Béla
Color: Yellow

• Registration number: 8141
• Length: 8.5 km
• Elevation: 260/280 m (depending on the direction)
• Difficulty / Purpose: RECREATION (easy) - MTB ROUTES
• Surface: Asphalt, paved roads

Description:

This is a short cycling route connecting the villages of Mužla and Belá along the EuroVelo 6 route.

The trail starts at the junction of Dunajská hrádza and the EuroVelo 6 route. It follows gravel roads to Muzsla, where you can stay overnight and enjoy refreshing local wines. From there, the route continues towards the vineyards above the village, where you can visit wine cellars or purchase local wines. The trail then winds through the vineyards, leading to Béla village, where it ends at a beautifully restored château. Here, visitors can either stay overnight or enjoy fine dining..

https://www.cykloportal.sk/trasy/8141-eurovelo-6-muzla-bela/