Egy dunántúli főnemesi udvartartás a 18–19. század fordulóján: Festetics György belső rendtartása
A noble household in Transdanubia at the turn of the 18th and 19th century: the internal rules of György Festetics

Summary/Abstract: One of the young members of the Festetics family’s Keszthely branch, count György Festetics (1755–1819) was a significant personality at the turn of the 18th and 19th century. He developped a qualified estate management and household, which was based on the expertise of the employees and an appropriate financial background. A central management board, called Directio, contributed to the functioning of this self-representing and attitude-forming noble household by working out different instructions. Festetics ordered the elaboration of two detailed instructions concerning the count’s court and the staff in 1800 and 1803. &e count was well aware of the significance of the instructions, thus they involved everything that was a profitable, marketable, money-making or attitude-forming status symbol. &ese instructions were given related to the exterior and interior parts of the court in Keszthely, e.g. how to take care of the register and use certain valuable objects. According to a nobleman’s life and social status, Festetics created a representative place of residence by reconstructing the castle. &is meant also the establishment of a prestige that was manifested in besides an impressive garden, which got to be a status symbol, and a stud-farm also in precious objects, noble tableware, furniture or in the quality of the dishes served in the usual order.

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