F. Mentényi Klára szerk.: Műemlékvédelmi Szemle 2000/1-2. szám Az Országos Műemléki Felügyelőség tájékoztatója (Budapest, 2000)
MŰHELY - Koppány Tibor: A gátai számadáskönyvek. Adatok egy 17. század eleji dunántúli uradalom építkezéseihez
pork, poultry and fuel. He had rebuilt first his own dwelling place in 1629. The masons were coming from Kismarton (Eisenstadt, Burgenland) and Galánta (Galánta, Slovakia), which were at that time belonging to the Esterházy estate. Other craftsmen were coming from different estates of the Esterházy family, masons, carpenters, joiners, locksmiths. The building activity in Gánta began with bricklaying and brickburning. Other building material was purchased by the bailiff in Vienna, Wienerneustadt, Pressburg (Pozsony, Bratislava) and Nagyszombat (Trnava) or nearby Austrian industrial towns. In May the cellar and basement of a larger building was made by Polish workers. The masons began their work led by Hans Paur "Baumeister". An expense note from 1631 proved that the building was planned for a country house. Later facts conceal that it was a castle-like building with vaulted cellar and partly vaulted ground-floor, shingleroofed, with copper ornaments at the corners. This was possible only in that case, when there were bastions following the example of Renaissance castles. The doors and windows had carved stone frames made in Deutschaltenburg. There were glazed tile ovens in the rooms bought also in Vienna. In the latest accounts payment for gardeners were mentioned. This proved that there was a garden or park surrounding the building. On the basis of the account books the building process of a 17 th century country house could be followed. The organisation was lead by the bailiff, the control of the work and purchases as well. It was clear that at that time, when a part of the country was under Ottoman occupation there were very few craftsmen remaining in the country and it was very difficult to purchase all the material necessary. For this reason the building process took a considerable time. Prices and payments could also be reconstructed on the basis of the account book, and they were similar to the average in the country, even to those in the neighbouring countries. Finally, the country house of Gáta built between 1629 and 1635, on the basis of the account book must have been the predecessor of the 18 th century baroque Esterházy castle.
