Antal Grassalkovich I acquired Gödöllö and the neighbouring settlements in a gradual fashion between 1723 and 1748. Gödöllö, situated in the valley of the Rákos brook and having favourable natural endowments, was chosen to be made the centre of this area that was now unified in Antal Grassalkovich I’s possession.
Parallel to the construction of the palace, plans were drawn up to consciously develop the settlement on a large scale. As part of this project, Grassalkovich had a palace garden made, which was divided into an upper and a lower garden by the palace itself.
The garden, which clearly represented elements of aristocratic taste, financial well-being and political power alike, was created in French style, with Versailles serving as a model for it.
Bowing to the predominant trends of the age, the French garden was converted unto an English, or in other words, a landscape garden towards the beginning of the 19th century by Antal Grassalkovich III (1771 – 1841) and his wife Leopoldina Esterházy (1776 – 1868).
Following the extinction of the Grassalkovich family’s male line (1841), the property was sequestered for a period of 9 years. Military action in the 1848 – 1849 freedom fight presented major abuses to the palace with the orange trees having been burnt, the fencing being wholly demolished and the stock of game dispersing.
After two interim owners, the palace and the domain were finally purchased by the Hungary state in 1867. The state let free use of the palace and the park for Francis Joseph I (1830 – 1916) and Queen Elizabeth (1837 – 1898) as a coronation present.