After a long period of stagnation and deterioration, Bojnice together with its domain, was obtained by its last owner Count Jan Frantisek Palffy in 1852. He was a renowned private collector who, through his efforts, raised the overall standard of the fortress. His inborn feeling for art was reflected in the intentional and systematic collection of artistic works. The best expression of this was given by himself in the quote: ‘The motive and aim of my foreign travel and stays abroad in my long life, was not only to satisfy my own personal appetite for art, but also to gain from the treasure of foreign countries, so rich in artistic artefacts, as much as possible under the given circumstances and which my financial means would permit. In so doing I brought to my country such artistic works of art which would contribute to the overall enriching of our artistic taste at home, while at the same time encourage interest in art’. If he managed to reach this aim, described in his testament, is confirmed by the reality that after his death, in 1910 experts estimated his property as having a value of 90 million crowns.

In his last testament Count Palffy expressed the wish that his palaces in Vienna and Budapest, mansion in Kralova and his castle in Bojnice, be accessible for the public and that the works of art remain in their original place and that tours be made possible for those interested. The Count did not reckon on the fact that his wish would only be fulfilled several years later, in 1950 to be exact, when the castle was run by the Nitrianske County Museum. In 1970 the castle was declared as a National cultural monument.