Topolcianky is a village located in NE part of Nitra region. It is surrounded by Tribec and Pohronsky Inovec mountains. In N part of the village you can find an big park with a chateau. The first mention of Topolcianky was done in 1293. Originally, the chateau was built with the purpose to fortify the inhabitants against Tartar and Turkish invasions occurring in this area during several centuries. Since 1561, this chateau was the capital of the Tekov region for nearly 200 years. The Renaissance style can be seen in its W, N and E (see the 10th picture) sides. This portion of the chateau has been rebuilt in the middle of the 17th century. The coat of arms shown in the 1st picture testifies this. In the middle of 18th century, Keglevich family became the chateau owner. They rebuilt the S side (see the 11th and 12th pictures) in 1825, giving it classicism style, designed by Alois Pichl, a Viennese architect. Keglevichs, who equipped the chateau with most of the furniture you can see inside (see the 2nd picture), owned the chateau till 1890. Then, Habsburgs became the owners of the chateau. The S portion is considered to be one of the ”purest“ classicism buildings in Slovakia. We find obvious that after WW I, the first Czechoslovak government expropriated Habsburgs, who, during their rule, denied Slovaks and Czechs their national self-determination rights. So, the chateau became a state property.

The last major reconstruction was made in 1920s, when roof rooms have been added to the Renaissance-portion. During this era, the chateau became a favorite place for Tomas Garrique Masaryk, the first (and the most beloved) president of Czechoslovakia, also well-known as a philosopher at the beginning of the last century. Masaryk ruled from 1918 till 1935, when he died. However, he spent his holidays in Topolcianky each year from 1923 to 1935 and the oldest people still remember him as he used to ride a horse in the mountains around and talk with the common people (mostly farmers, lumber-jacks and stonemasons) whom he met during these trips. Although Czechoslovakia does not exists anymore, the people in Topolcianky are still proud of this part of their history. Between WWI and WWII, Czechoslovakia was the only really democratic country in Central Europe and its president could appear in the back country often even without bodyguards.

After the communist coup d’état in 1948, the government gave the chateau to the trade unions, who own it till now. However, it remained unaccessible for current people till 1989. Today, the Renaissance portion has hotel rooms in the second floor, which are not equipped with style furniture. In the first floor, you can find restaurant, wine bar, dancing hall, sauna and food stores. In the classicism portion, there are several halls with different styles of furniture. You can find one of the biggest collections of ceramics in Slovakia, as well as pictures, old-style clocks and mirrors. Also a library established by Johann Keglevich is noteworthy: 14,000 books include a lot of priceless pieces. Unfortunately, it is not accessible for the public.

My pictures were taken during a cloudy snowless-winter Saturday. Enjoy them!