Püspöki Palota

The baroque Episcopal Palace at the foot of the castle hill welcomes visitors in its original splendour. The new exhibition in the building is based on an 18th-century story about the commissioner of the construction, Bishop Márton Padányi Biró, whose biography speaks volumes about the Baroque worldview. We can get a comprehensive picture of this era by exploring the bishop’s life of glory, art, creation, controversy, as well as his fall. Aside from the figure of Padányi, who conceived of the fresco cycle in Sümeg, we can also learn about the history of Viennese artist Franz Anton Maulbertsch, the “Rococo star painter” who created it; since the exhibition focuses on this fresco, which is located in the parish church of Sümeg. In the vibrant murals, mundane and extraterrestrial elements coexist. Personalisation of the two main characters – the bishop and the painter – is done in the palace in minute detail, sometimes in an eye-catching, other times in an astonishing, contemporary way. Visitors can explore the palace through hidden nooks, secret rooms, and disguised doors. The largest Rococo tiled stove in the country can be found upstairs, and the richly decorated library room, which also reveals Padányi’s portrait and displays the sciences, is a true art history curiosity. Further Baroque and Rococo experiences await visitors in the renovated Episcopal Palace in Sümeg throughout the exhibition.