The history of the castle

László I Tisza (? -1771), who acquired the estate, moved in a building that was called the “county hall” when he arrived here, and it was him that had a small, Baroque mansion built in 1771. The two oldest parts of the castle used to be separate buildings and were connected only at a later stage – one is the north-south oriented part at the end of the east wing with an open, curved porch, and the other is the part at the west end of the west-east oriented wing with 2 rows of rooms and a central hallway.

The largest construction projects were ordered by László II Tisza (1765-1831) and his wife, Countess Katalin Teleki de Szék (1777-1820), mostly after they got married in 1796. At the end of the 18th century, the building was already L-shaped. This was when the middle part of the main wing was built, and a pavilion, a Classicist, late-Baroque structure with four axes was constructed above the carriage gateway. The castle, designed by the architect Antal Czigler Sr, became a centre of social and political life, and locals in Geszt called it ”Babylon.”

After the death of Lajos I Tisza (1798-1856) his son, the later prime minister Kálmán Tisza (1830-1902), inherited the castle. The outer terrace of the east wing was built in 1860, then the south-side carriage gateway was built in and converted into the prime minister’s study. The plaster decoration on the ceiling of the salons was designed by painter Béla Pállik. The downstairs bathrooms were installed during the time of Kálmán Tisza, between 1866 and 1892.

From 1902, prime minister István Tisza started modernising the building. Electrical wiring and phone lines were installed, along with cold and hot water. The study of the prime minister was moved to the largest, vaulted room of the north-south wing. In the early 20th century, an air heating system was installed. The last family member to own the estate was Kálmán Lajos Tisza, who fled in October 1944 as the Soviet army was approaching. After World War 2, he was forced to leave the country.

For several months, Soviet soldiers stayed in the castle. Between 1946 and 1948, it was a resort for the students of the University of Debrecen, from 1954 it was used as a local cultural centre and library, and from 1957 as a school. A stage was built in the large salon, and cultural programmes and theatre performances were held here.

The comprehensive renovation of the castle started in 2021. Our aim was to create a complex exhibition that is attractive and educational for the general public, where visitors can learn a lot about the historical Tisza family.

Parts of the park were created from a native forest, and the most beautiful oak, maple and ash trees were kept. Travellers in times of old were in awe of the park in Geszt, its colourful flower beds, the groups of plane, oak and palm trees, the blooming bushes and climbing roses. Its wide, winding paths are recognisable on old land registry maps, and photos and postcards from later periods also show the beauty of this 19-ha park.

Mrs. Kálmán Tisza née Ilona Degenfeld had a terrace built on the eastern side, and opposite that there was an oval, slightly elevated flower bed that was separated from the green lawn with a low, trimmed hedge, just like in the rest of the garden. In the large stone pots in the terrace balustrades, huge, blooming yuccas were planted. The garden was tended by a professional gardener and several “junior gardeners,” who, to maintain tradition and entertain visiting children, used a donkey cart to take water to the flower beds even after water pipelines were laid. The garden used to be eclectic, partly because it had been shaped by several generations.

There used to be dense forest patches and alleys (from old elm and black walnut trees) and shrubs in the park. János Arany mentioned a small pond, and there were a tennis court (one of the first in the country), a cricket field, a nine-pin bowling lane, a field for playing ball, and other clearings used for sports. The memorial house of János Arany, the great poet of the second half of the 19th century, is also located in the garden: Arany spent 6 months here in 1851 and the summer holiday in 1852, teaching Domokos Tisza about poetry. István Tisza was the first to have a plaque placed on the original garden lodge. The small building with the thatched roof where János Arany lived was pulled down during the Soviet occupation of the village at the end of World War 2, and its materials were used to fill the holes in the dirt roads. It was reconstructed in 1971, in cooperation with the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Petőfi Museum of Literature. Most trees of the park were cut down and used for heating or construction in 1944-45.

A main focus area of the renovation in 2021 was the castle garden and the castle park, when flowers and trees were planted, the paths were renovated and lighting was installed to create a fitting environment for the castle.