The fate of Prešov in the 17th - 18th centuries was more than in any other eastern Slovak town connected with the powerful Rakoci family and its important personalities. The palace was built by rebuilding two burgher houses, one of which belonged to the bookseller Gašpar Güttler. Žigmund Rákoci decided to buy them and rebuild them into a representative palace at the end of the 16th century. The rebuilding took place at the beginning of the 17th century. The characteristic façade with bay windows was added. The façade was finished with an attic composed of a combination of gables, arches and blind arcades. 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. Its elegant architecture and rich, but subtle sgraffito decoration is still the pride of the Main Street and is one of the most beautiful surviving examples of Renaissance urban architecture in Slovakia. The Rakoci family thus managed to create a true gem of urban Renaissance architecture.
The history of the palace inherently includes the signing of the of the Peace of Presov in 1633 between the prince of Transylvania George I. Rakoczy and Emperor Ferdinand II. and the anti-Habsburg uprisings, when after 1701 became a prison and later the residence of the leader of the rebellion, Francis II. Rakoci. After 1711 it was confiscated and changed several owners. During the 18th century, the courtyard wing was rebuilt in Baroque style. In the 19th century, the building had several owners or tenants who adapted it to commercial and workshop premises. A thorough reconstruction of the palace to its original Renaissance appearance, completed with the restoration of the graphite decoration in the façade, took place in the 1950s. At present, it is the seat of the Regional Museum in Prešov.
Rakoci Palace is part of the Šariš castle roads.
Source/Photo : OOCR Region Šariš, Regional Museum Prešov
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