The baroque Library of Adam Patatchich
The reading room among the 12 most beautiful old libraries of the world
One of the most beautiful old Baroque library rooms of Hungary, the historical library of Archbishop Ádám Patachich, can only be visited as part of a guided tour.
Opening times:
From 1st April to 31st October, Tuesday-Sunday 9 AM - 5 PM (closed on Mondays). The ticket office closes at 4 PM.
Individual visitors (up to 10 people) can visit the library from 1st April to 31st October during the opening hours. During the April-October period, we provide guided tours daily at 12 PM and 2 PM which start at the reception desk of the Archbishop's Palace.
Admission fee: 800 HUF (reduced: 500 HUF for students and seniors). The price includes the guided tour.
Combined tickets are available for visiting The Library, The Treasury and the Paprika Museum.
Combined tickets for the three attraction:
- Adult ticket: 1,500 HUF
- Student and senior ticket: 800 HUF
More information on visiting the Cathedral: We are informing the visitors that the Kalocsa Cathedral is currently closed for the public due to ongoing renovation works. Re-opening of the Cathedral will be announced in the national media.
Guided tours are provided by our librarians, therefore in order to maintain the operation of our library and to avoid scheduling issues, please inform us in advance about the date and time of your planned visit.
Introduction
The ceremonial hall of our library is a memorial in Kalocsa to Archbishop ÁdÁm Patachich (1776-1784). It is a outstanding feature of this archiepiscopal seat as well as the whole region of Hungary’s Southern Planes, visited by some 15-thousand interested tourists per year. The library room, which has eight windows and is 23 metres long, was built in 1780 in the Italian Baroque style. Along the walls are ranged 3-metre high, adjustable shelf units made of decoratively carved oak. The length of the shelves adds up to 632 metres on which 19,000 volumes can be found. The top of the units is decorated by 12 grisaille wooden panels made by Franz Anton Maulbertsch. These depict the facial images of great thinkers of ancient times, the Middle Ages and of the modern world (e.g. Homeros, Aristotle, St Augustine, Newton). In the middle of the room there are three large columns and six writing/work desks. Ranged on the tables are more than 400 books bound in gilded leather. On the binding of the books in uniform covers Venczel Werner, bookbinder librarian, worked over ten years. As a result of his work, the gilded volumes ensure today the glittering aspect of the room. In the window alcoves are the reading desks. From the room a door leads direct to the living quarters of Archbishop Patachich. It is quite likely that this door was often used by the book-loving archbishop when he stayed at Kalocsa. Information on the practical aspect of a visit to the room is available on our page: Useful information, how we can be reached.
Pictures from the ceremonial hall
The uniformly bound books are one of the important characteristics of the room
One of the grisaille wooden panels of Maulbertsch depicts the image of St Augustine
Almost 20 thousand volumes line the shelves
On the reading table a handwritten Gregorian songbook from the 18th Century can be seen
The Baroque library of ádám Patachich has been visited for a very long time. The visitors’ book, kept from 1813, proves that many distinguished people called in the library. The following photos give some examples of the earlier visits to the library.
Pál Winkler, chief librarian, with visitors in the 1920s
János Kékesi, chief librarian, with visitors in front of the copy of the Holy Crown, in the 1970s