History
The castle is first mentioned in the records in 1192 as a property of the Hungarian noble family Bánffy and was theirs until the middle of the 17th century, when it fell to Nádasdy family for a short period, and since the 18th century under the management of Eszterházy family.
Today it is a massive two-storey building with a mansard roof overlooking the Lendava town. The walls are supported by massive buttresses. The south-west façade is emphasized with a central tower.
Premises
The Lendava-Lendva Gallery and Museum was established within the castle in 1972. It houses four permanent exhibitions. The archaeological exhibition Oloris presents the late Bronze Age settlement Dolnji Lakoš pri Lendavi. Historical exhibition The Castle Lies in Wait [Grad na preži] informs us about the Turks’ invasions to the territory and presents the replicas of weapons and equipments of soldiers at that time. The numismatic exhibition, donated by the National Museum, Budapest, presents the development of Hungarian currency.
The memorial room is dedicated to György Zala (1858–1937), the native of Lendava and one of the most visible Hungarian sculptors.
The castle is a spot for temporary exhibitions, as well as restoration workshops, which take place yearly under the supervision of the National Museum, Budapest, in order to restore as many museum items as possible in the ten days.
The Lendava-Lendva International Artists Colony and The Youth Fine Arts Colony Lind Art in organisation of the Lendava-Lendva Gallery and Museum take place yearly in the Lendava castle.