The most beautiful city palace of Upper Hungary - this was the title of the Renaissance building in the most lucrative location of Prešov at the time of its construction in the 16th century.
Its elegant architecture and magnificent sgraffito decoration is still is the pride of the Main Street and it belongs to the most beautiful in Slovakia, which has been preserved from the Renaissance town building.
Žigmund Rákoci took care of the construction of the palace by rebuilding two townhouses. The present form, characterised mainly by the façade with bay windows finished with an unmistakable attic, was acquired in the 17th century during the late Renaissance reconstruction.
The history of the palace inherently includes signing of the Peace of Prešov in 1633 between the prince of Transylvania, George I. Rakoci and Emperor Ferdinand II and anti-Habsburg uprisings, when after 1701 it became a prison and later the residence of the leader of the rebellion, Francis II. Rakoci.
Today, the Rakoci Palace is home to Regional museum with rich expositions including the largest collection of firefighting equipment in Slovakia.
The exhibition contains almost 40 exhibits, with the oldest dates from the 18th century. Here you can see two-wheeled and four-wheeled manually operated syringes, engine sprinklers and fire trucks of Czechoslovak production. Also interesting are various parts of firefighting equipment, such as leather or canvas buckets, water rifles, period helmets and uniformsbut also samaritan aids.
In the palace, visitors can also enjoy two opposing poles - on one side exposition of the wealth of the manor, breathtaking works of art, luxury clocks and lavish furniture - on the other hand on a glimpse into the life of poor people in the ethnographic exposition. However, it is also extremely rich in the colourful beauty of costumes, with the nostalgic smell of homesteading, shepherd traditions, crafts, work and rest...
The most exclusive exhibits in the Inanimate Nature exhibition include the precious opal - a Slovak gemstone mined in the nearby Slanské vrchy (Slovak opal mines) and a collection of fossils, imprints of marine organisms, charred remains of plants and remains of large extinct mammals.
More information, opening hours and current events: tripolitana.sk/rakoci-palac-presov/
Monday - Friday: 9:00 - 17:00, Saturday - 14:00 - 18:00 (July and August only), Sunday - 14:00 - 18:00
