IN 1745, an attractive manor house was built near Revúca, in central Slovakia. It was commissioned by Ondrej Šramko, one of the most outstanding businessmen in what was then Hungary. He co-founded an iron company and the Muráň Union, the first joint-stock company in the Hungarian Empire.
Despite the manor house’s palatial appearance, its condition deteriorated once Šramko died, as was the case with many buildings of its kind.
For some time, it served as an inn and a place of amusement for the inhabitants of Revúca. During the First World War, it was converted into a prisoner of war camp, and in the 1930s it was a wine warehouse. Wine was said to mature extremely well in its cellars, which had been carved into rock.
It seems that the Skalka manor house is finally going to see better days, as it is now being rebuilt into a relaxation centre. It is shown in this postcard from 1921.
