Manor house in Slavec, Rožňava district, Košice Region. (source: kpr-fenix.sk)
Slavec, a village in eastern Slovakia, recently won an award in the prestigious Fénix – Cultural Monument of the Year contest thanks to people's votes.
Its rococo mansion, which belonged to the Andrássy family back in the day, was declared a national cultural monument in 1975. The old house, which almost vanished, was saved by the Sine Metu civic association. It owns the repaired house, the Korzár website reports.
In the contest, the mansion narrowly defeated the Komárno fortress in southern Slovakia by 163 votes. Up to 20,422 people voted for the house.
Replica of mediaeval furnace
The manor house was renovated between 2021 and 2023. Gábor Nászaly, a member of Sine Metu, said that the home had been in a destitute state.
"There were bare walls, nothing more. Twenty years ago, the roof of the building was repaired. In the end we had to remove it. The walls had to be fixed up, too."
A green tiled stove can be found in the representative room. Nászaly described that it is a replica of the oven, the remains of which were discovered during excavations in the nearby Pauline monastery.
A helping hand in the heart of Europe offers a travel guide of Slovakia. (source: Spectacular Slovakia)
"It was a 15th century stove from a Banská Bystrica tile workshop. It collapsed and disintegrated into a thousand pieces. A sculptor managed to create a replica based on these pieces, and the tile craftsmen from Hungary built a functional stove according the replica. It took years, but it worked."
Vault from monastery
Moreover, research uncovered unique findings.
One is the discovery of a Renaissance wall painting from the beginning of the 17th century, a mill and the remains of an old toilet.
At the same time, it was possible to restore the coat of arms and the circular inscription on the ceiling mirror of the salon. In one of the rooms, an older vault from the times of the Pauline monastery with a mirror has also been preserved.
Today, there is a permanent exhibition in the manor house, consisting of findings from the archaeological survey of the monastery ruins. It also hosts a display that presents the history of the local ironworks. Ironworks were built in Slavec in the second half of the 18th century.
The Gemer region, where Slavec is located, is known for metallurgical production.
The Andrássy family bought the manor house in 1869 and used it until 1945.
The monument is part of the educational trail in the Gombasek area, which is part of Slavec. At ten stops, visitors will learn more about local nature, culture, history and traditions in three languages.
Besides the house, there in Slavec visitors can find the ruins of the Pauline monastery, Gombasecká Cave, and an observation tower resembling a bell tower.
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