The Hungarian castle is a monument to eternal love. Bori Castle in Szekesfehervar - a lifelong romance in stone

Times are changing, and if medieval knights sang serenades under the window of the Belle Lady's tower, modern knights prefer to build for their beloved not only a tower with a window, but also the castle itself.

Bori Castle, more often called the Castle of Eternal Love, is located in the Hungarian city of Székesfehérvár. This amazing building looks like an illustration to a beautiful fairy tale and has a unique atmosphere of peace and happiness. Couples in love from all over Europe come here to feel it, and it is no coincidence, because Bori is a real declaration of love, executed in stone.

Love is like a dream

This story began at the dawn of the twentieth century, in 1905, when a young, promising sculptor, Enyo Bori, traveled through Europe. One fine day, he met a beautiful girl with a gentle, mysterious smile on her face. The beauty's name was Ilona, ​​and she also turned out to be an artist. The young people were fascinated by each other at first sight, and since then they have not parted. Soon they became husband and wife.

In 1912, Jeno and Ilona decided to build a permanent nest for themselves in quiet and cozy Székesfehérvár. They settled in a tiny house, but were still happy. Neighbors often saw the young couple walking through the park, holding hands and hardly talking, as if they understood each other without words.

But enjoying his quiet happiness, the young husband still dreamed of bringing his beloved to a large and beautiful castle, and this dream determined their entire future life.

Obsessed with dreams and love, despite the snickers of his neighbors, Yenyo built his fairytale castle day after day. He spent forty years of his life implementing his plan, but he still achieved his goal. At the same time, becoming the only person in the world who managed to cope with such a titanic task alone.

He, of course, dedicated the resulting masterpiece to his dearly beloved wife Ilona.

Love Incarnate

Bory Castle is a very impressive structure, including seven towers, more than thirty rooms and a vast gallery decorated with statues of great people who glorified Hungary.

The appearance of the castle cannot be accurately attributed to any style; Gothic elements here are intricately combined with motifs of earlier Romanesque architecture and the later Renaissance. But despite such eclecticism, the building looks surprisingly harmonious, because it was built by a man with a subtle artistic taste.

And in the interior decoration, the beautiful Ilona reigns supreme. Her images can be found everywhere. Graceful statues, frescoes and portraits on the walls repeat the image of the artist’s beloved again and again.

The sculpture depicting Ilona in the image of the Virgin Mary is considered a true masterpiece. This amazing sculpture is located in the castle chapel. At the same time, it’s funny that on the fresco behind Madonna, Bory depicted the most famous beauties of past centuries. Mona Lisa by Leonardo, Saskia by Rembrandt, Fornarina by Raphael and Helena Fourment by Rubens look with envy at the beautiful Ilona, ​​at whose feet the angel bows. In his appearance one can easily discern the features of Yenyo himself.

Ilona also took part in decorating the castle. Thanks to her talent, the interior of their family nest is decorated with more than five hundred paintings and sculptures on various themes.

While building the castle of his dreams, Yenyo literally glowed with happiness all the time. And as often happens with passionate people, he was lucky in all other areas of life. So, the artist dreamed of having a daughter, exactly like his beloved wife, and the Lord rewarded the couple with twin girls. Years passed and one of the twins, Ilona, ​​became a copy of her mother in appearance, and the second, Clara, fully inherited her father’s talent, and over time also began to create sculptures to decorate the castle.

In addition to the images of the owners, you can find many other interesting works of art in Bori. And the most unusual “exhibit” can be considered the sword of Damocles, hanging on a chain stretched between the towers. This sword is designed to remind you of true values, because everything else is finite, especially life.

Traveling through the halls, you can trace the entire history of this happy family. Gradually, Enyo and Ilona grew old, but their love and tenderness for each other were timeless.

Life goes on

The construction of the castle ended in 1959 with the death of Enyo. Ilona outlived her loved one by 15 years. They say that she did not cry at the funeral, sincerely believing that her husband’s spirit remained forever within the walls of their beautiful home. Since then, every day she slowly walked around her property, silently talking with her beloved, as often happened during his life.

She left this world in 1974, but today the castle remains the property of the Bori family, and the story of great love continues to be preserved by numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the artists.

Nowadays, Bori Castle has become a place where newlyweds like to come. There is a belief that couples who visit the castle will remain inseparable until the end of their days.

Updated 02/07/2019

In the article I will tell you about Bori Castle in Székesfehérvár and other interesting places in the vicinity of the city. You will learn why the castle is called a symbol of eternal love, how to see the ruins of an ancient Roman city and where to find a museum where everything is made of aluminum.

Bori Castle in Székesfehérvár is not located in the city center, so I did not talk about it in the article about the sights of Székesfehérvár (you will find a route to get to know the city and a map). From the historical center of the city to Bori Castle is 5 kilometers. I’ll tell you how to get there below, but for now the history of the castle and its creator.

Enyo Bori - architect and loving husband

Enyo Bory is a Hungarian architect and sculptor who worked in the first half of the 20th century. He graduated from the sculpture department of the Hungarian School of Drawing, and in his youth traveled to Germany and Italy, where he studied the art of marble sculpture. Then he met his future wife Ilona, ​​who was also an artist.

During the First World War, Jeno Bori was drafted into the army and became the official war artist in Sarajevo. For 30 years, Bori worked at the Royal Hungarian School of Drawing, and for some time headed the Hungarian University of Fine Arts.

His hand belongs to a number of sculptures and memorial plaques, many of which are installed in Székesfehérvár and Budapest. For example, in Várfal Park, where the walking route around the city begins, there is a sculpture by him. That’s what they call it – Bori’s column.

The most important creation of Enyo Bori is considered to be the castle he built, which is called the castle of eternal love. The architect dedicated it to his beloved wife Ilona. Construction of the castle took place intermittently for several decades. Enyo Bori erected the building personally, he had only a few assistants. His wife Ilona also helped the architect. Paintings painted by her decorate the interiors of Bori Castle. The Hungarians say that Bori Castle is included in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest structure erected by one person.

Enyo Bori died in 1959 in his native Székesfehérvár. Bori Castle was completed after his death. Now it belongs to the descendants of the architect. Enyo's beloved wife Ilona outlived her husband by almost 15 years; she died in 1974.

History of Bori Castle

Enyo Bori purchased a plot of land on which he hoped to build a castle in 1912. But his plans were interrupted by the First World War. As a result, construction began only in 1923. Very soon the fame of the architect who builds the castle with his own hands spread throughout the country. Curious people began to come to Székesfehérvár to look at Bori’s creation. Soon the name was assigned to it - Bory Castle (Bory-vár). The main influx of funds for construction came from the sale of paintings and sculptures.

Bori widely used reinforced concrete to decorate the Enyo castle, which was an innovation. Railings, stairs, towers, statues and much more - all created using reinforced concrete.

Bory Castle in Székesfehérvár has seven towers and about 30 rooms filled with sculptures, paintings and other works of art. And everywhere you can see images of his beloved wife, the architect Ilona. It is not surprising that the name “Castle of Eternal Love” has become a landmark. One of the towers of Bori Castle is dedicated to the twins who were born into the family of the architect.

Useful information for visiting Bori Castle

Official site: bory-var.hu.

Address: Mariavölgy 54.

Working hours: I recommend checking the current opening hours of the castle on the website (the address is indicated above), since it does not work in winter. During the warm season, access to the attraction is open daily from 09:00 to 17:00.

Entrance fee

• Adult (from 26 to 62 years old) - 1500 forints (if you accompany at least two children under 18 years old, then 700 forints).
• Children and students - 700 forints.
• Pensioners - 700 forints.
• Children under 5 years old and people over 70 years old are free.

How to get to Székesfehérvár

• From the railway station - bus No. 31 (then 500 meters on foot) and No. 32 (then 120 meters on foot).
• From the bus station - bus No. 26A (then 120 meters on foot).
• By car – I marked a point on the map below, using it it is easy to build a route from Budapest or from the center of Székesfehérvár.

How to get to Székesfehérvár I. There you will also find information about hotels in the city and places for dinner.

Attractions in the vicinity of Székesfehérvár

There are many attractions on the outskirts of Székesfehérvár and in its surroundings. If you have time, I advise you to look into all of them, or at least those that arouse interest and desire.

Gorsium Open Air Museum

15 kilometers from Székesfehérvár are the ruins of an ancient Roman city, turned into an open-air museum Gorsium (Herculia). Landmark - the village of Tats. The official name is Gorsium Regészeti Park.

Excavations of the ancient Roman city began in the middle of the 20th century. During them, historians found out that first the ancient Romans set up a military camp here, and then founded the city of Gorsium. In 260 AD, the city was destroyed by barbarians, 30 years later it was revived, but was already called Herkuia. The city fell into decline simultaneously with the fall of the Roman Empire.

In the 20th century, archaeologists unearthed the remains of city walls and gates, streets, a forum, several temples and other buildings. You can walk along all these places.

Working hours

• April 1 to October 31 – from 10:00 to 18:00.
• November 1 – March 31 – from 10:00 to 16:00.
• Monday is a day off.

Entrance fee

• Adult – 1,200 forints
• Students/seniors – 600 forints.
• Free on Hungarian national holidays - March 15, August 20 and October 23.

Museum of the Aluminum Industry in Székesfehérvár

The Aluminum Industry Museum (Alumíniumipari Múzeum) opened on the outskirts of Székesfehérvár in 1971. Initially it was a small exhibition that aroused great interest. Therefore, they decided to make the museum permanent; a special building was allocated for it. The museum contains many documents and photographs telling about the development of the aluminum industry. But the most interesting thing in the museum, of course, is its exhibits. The museum also collects works of art related to aluminum for display.

Address: Zombori út 12.

Entry fee: 600 forints for a full ticket, 300 forints for a reduced price.

Working hours: Tuesday – Sunday – from 10:00 to 15:00, Monday – closed.

How to get there: buses No. 17 and No. 22, stop Szivárvány Óvoda, then 3 minutes on foot.

Ethnographic Museum of Székesfehérvár

The Ethnographic Museum of Székesfehérvár (Palotavárosi Skanzen) is located near the historical center and can be easily reached on foot. If you are interested in the history of Hungary, its culture, and want to know how Hungarian peasants and artisans lived, then this is the place for you. The museum is a small street lined with buildings from the past. Small houses, barns, other buildings. The interiors of the buildings also correspond to historical reality.

Address: Rác utca 11.

Working hours: Tuesday – Sunday – from 10:00 to 18:00, Monday – closed.

Entrance fee: 600 forints, but pre-registration is required. You can check with the Tourist Information Center on Székesfehérvár Town Hall Square.

Firefighting Museum

The Firefighting Museum (Tűzoltó Múzeum) is located right in the fire station building. The exhibition displays the uniforms of Hungarian firefighters, as well as the tools they used in their work. For example, the plumed helmets that all firefighters were once required to wear.

Address: Szent Florian körút 2.

Working hours: daily from 08:00 to 17:00.

Bori Castle and other museums on the map

I marked on the map Bori Castle in Székesfehérvár and all the museums mentioned in the article. Using a map, it is convenient to build a route, calculate travel time and avoid getting lost.

Have fun walking around Székesfehérvár and its surroundings.

Always yours, Daniil Privonov.

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On the outskirts of the Hungarian city of Székesfehérvár there is an unusual castle.

The area here is semi-rural - semi-dacha: private houses, front gardens, and no hints of a castle. Even standing in front of the gate with a sign, you are slightly perplexed: well, where is he?

And then you walk into the yard, turn the corner - and gasp. Indeed, it is a knight’s castle with turrets, dungeons, and covered galleries. There are steps leading up to it, and on the terraces in front of the castle there are flower beds, trimmed bushes and benches in secluded corners.

The castle is beautiful and unusual. And the most amazing thing is that this grandiose structure was built by virtually one person. He, of course, had assistants at different stages of construction, but the lion's share of the work was done by himself - Jeno Bori, sculptor, architect, builder - in general, an Artist in the broadest sense of the word.

He built his castle for 40 years - with breaks for world wars and other circumstances. I built in my free time from my main job. At the same time, he worked on orders, taught at the Royal Hungarian School of Drawing, at the Royal Technical University, and for some time was the rector of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts.

When asked how he managed to build such a palace on his own, he answered: the whole secret is in the use of concrete. If there were no cement, there would be no castle. And yet…

They say that he was driven by the great power of love - for his wife Ilona, ​​who became his muse. Indeed, everything here is filled with the image of this woman. Sculptures, bas-reliefs, portraits depicting her are found here at every step.

However, historical and mythical characters also “registered” in this castle. Cain stands naked with bloody hands. Sculptures of Hungarian kings line the open galleries around the perimeter of the courtyard. Warriors, heroes, sorcerers, animals, compositions with many figures and few figures wove into the space of the castle and took their places. In the covered galleries of the courtyard are placed copies of Jeno Bori's sculptures, which he has ever made to order.

So let's take a walk around the castle.

At the entrance, visitors are greeted by the first batch of sculptures installed on the lawn.

"Dummy Piss" is hiding in the bushes

Behind him is a young woman with a spiritual face. Ilona, ​​wife and muse

The castle is located on a slight hill.

You can climb up the ladder on the right along the wall. It's like a private passage.

The main entrance is on the left, through the flower beds, along a wide slope.

One way or another, you find yourself in a spacious rectangular courtyard - solemn and elegant.

Twin Tower - built and named after twin daughters: Ilona and Clara.

Galleries with sculptures

We rise to the upper galleries

Kings and queens

From the top there is a view of Székesfehérvár.

Numerous passages, stairs, connections of spaces, exits to open galleries and halls. A scattering of certain signs that you want to read.

The “heart” of the castle is the Family Chapel, where Ilona is represented in the image of the Madonna, and behind her are the muses of great geniuses: Mona Lisa da Vinci, Rembrandt’s wife Saskia, Rubens’ wife Elena Fourment and Fornarina - Raphael’s vicious lover, turned into a saint by the Master’s brush ( "Sistine Madonna").

Before visiting the castle, I had not heard anything about the sculptor Bori or the work of his hands.

There are examples of superhuman efforts in this world, something that is difficult for an ordinary person to imagine. I won’t talk now about the artistic value of the castle – undoubtedly, it is high. It pleases the eye, surprises and delights.

It remains beyond understanding how an ordinary person could build something like this! During one human life, without any exorbitant money (kings and nouveau riche, of course, can afford such luxury, but a teacher?), without construction crews and equipment!

Smooth and creative burning, non-stop, lifelong. Doing, doing, doing. Was it love that motivated him? I don't know anything about the lives of these people. Ilona was also an artist, a creative person. But, tell me, if your beloved husband spent every free minute at a construction site for 40 years, would you not eventually pray: “Darling, spend this day with me and the children, don’t go to the construction site, leave your castle!” I would beg. I would hate this castle, taking away my beloved. Like every ordinary person. As a result, “No tales will be told about you, No songs will be sung about you.”

I think this castle is an expression of love and, above all, mutual understanding between two people. Ilona understood that her husband was obsessed, that he was married primarily to his castle, this was an expression of his creativity. Creating a castle became the meaning of life for my husband. She accepted this - either because of spiritual kinship or great love.

A beautiful story about love, a story about perseverance and burning, an example of what obsession can accomplish and what beauty a single person can fill space with in a single life.

Jeno Bori and his family (photo taken from Wikipedia)

Before his death, Jeno asked his grandchildren that when he and Ilona were buried, there would be a window between their burials so that they could always look at each other. Well, suddenly...

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"Alba Regia - it sounds like the name of a flower...". People of the older generation remember these words well, opening the Soviet-Hungarian film with Tatyana Samoilova in the title role of a Soviet radio operator. Alba Regia is the ancient main city of the Hungarians, in which at the end of the 10th century the court of the main leader, Prince Geza, the grandson of Arpad, who brought 7 Hungarian tribes to the Carpathian Basin at the end of the 9th century, was located. Later, Geza's son King Stephen made Alba Regia the coronation and burial place of the Hungarian kings. Now this city, 60 km from Budapest, is called Szekesfehervar.

Its current center was formed in the 18th century and shines with Baroque architectural monuments. It is a pleasure to stroll through the winding streets and small squares of Székesfehérvár. And on the outskirts of the city there is an amazing castle museum - Bori Castle. Its silhouette harmoniously combines various architectural styles: Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and the walls, columns, domes and even sculptures richly decorating the terraces and balustrades are made of concrete. However, the most amazing thing is that this castle was built by the hands of one man, who for almost forty years tirelessly erected its walls and towers as a symbol of eternal love for his chosen one.

At the beginning of the century, the architect and sculptor Enyo Bori decided to build a castle for his young, charming wife in the vicinity of Székesfehérvár, around a small house that he acquired in 1912. But the First World War delayed the implementation of this plan by ten years. Enyo Bori had to put on a military uniform and go to Serbia, pitted with trenches. Fortunately, his service at the front was not long: the Architect was transferred to Sarajevo, where he had to complete a number of monumental projects commissioned by the imperial family. After the war in 1923, he was finally able to begin fulfilling his dream. Construction progressed slowly. Working only on weekends, doing almost everything with his own hands, Enyo Bori created this monument to eternal love until the end of his days. Numerous images of Ilona Bori, the wife of the architect, in sculptures, paintings or poems dedicated to her and carved on the stones of the castle, every corner of it tells about the high feeling that he had for his beloved. At the same time, this castle is also a testament to the architect’s love for his homeland, its history and culture. In the garden, on the terraces and under the arcades of the castle, the artist's studio displays more than 500 works of art made by Bory himself, his wife and daughter.

Walking through the castle, the visitor seems to be passing through historical eras, coming into contact with their symbols, with the heroes who identify their glorious pages, with the artists and thinkers who have preserved their history for us.

In the garden, among the sculptures, there are fragments of bombs and shells that destroyed what was supposed to bring joy to people. Next to the tombstones of Turkish soldiers who trampled the soil of Hungary for 150 years, there is a monument to a Soviet soldier who corrected artillery fire from one of the castle towers and died for the liberation of foreign land. On the terraces of the castle there are busts of famous Hungarian architects, painters and sculptors who determined the European face of Budapest and glorified Hungarian culture. The walls are decorated with frescoes depicting the essence of various ideologies, scenes of heated battles, and the sublime spirit of romantic dreams. The sword of Damocles hanging between the towers of the castle reminds us of the moral qualities of man, and the elephant holding the earthly sphere on itself reminds us of the progress of human thought. The sculptures of the Hungarian kings, lined up along the perimeter of the fortress walls, seem to tell about the glorious and tragic moments of Hungarian history. From the sub-cloud heights of the castle towers, a soothing panorama of the surrounding area opens up.

Time spent within the romantic walls of this castle allows us to shake off the hustle and bustle of everyday life, worries and sorrows. His atmosphere of love for one's neighbor makes the soul purify, making it more susceptible to the high impulses characteristic of every normal person who has lived through this crazy twentieth century.

Eduard Surovtsev
Budapest guide

In 1923, the architect and sculptor Bory Jenő began building a castle on a hill in the vineyard-covered countryside of Székesfehérvár. The erected building was named Bory Castle (Bory-vár). He bought this plot, with a small house, back in 1912. Over the course of 36 years, Bory Jenő, with several assistants, built the castle, which reflected various architectural styles.

Bory Jenő erected a monument to his artistic dreams and marital love. Numerous images of his beloved in sculptures, paintings and poems, carved on the stones of the castle and dedicated to her, testify to his irrepressible imagination, to the high feeling that Jenő had for his wife, Ilona Komoksin. Everything here is imbued with a romantic atmosphere, every stone of the building glows with the energy of love.

Entrance fee to Bori Castle:
Adult - 1000 Ft

Attendant - 500 Ft
(1-2 parents or close relatives accompanying at least two people under the age of 18).

Ages 6-26 years - 500 Ft
Age 62-70 years - 500 Ft

Less than 6 years - free.
Over 70 years - free.
Teachers are free.