Beladice: Manor Houses, Ceramic Art and Cultural Landscape

Beladice is located in the Danubian Lowland on the Žitava Upland. The Drevenica stream flows through the village; it rises below the Tribeč Mountains and flows into the Žitava River. Its character is shaped above all by the combination of landscape, manor houses, churches and a documented cycling offering. For a culture-oriented journey through Slovakia, Beladice therefore offers several different points of interest.

Manor Houses and Protected Parklands

The Szentiványi Manor House was extensively remodelled in 1874 for O. Sentiváni according to plans by V. Balogh in a romantic Neo-Baroque–Classical style. Its main façade faces the park. Coffered ceilings and wooden wall panelling have been preserved on the ground floor. The park includes rare deciduous trees, especially lime trees and poplars, as well as a mausoleum of the Szentiványi family dating from 1874.

The park by the manor house is listed as an immovable national cultural monument under number ÚZPF 1397/2; the protected features include, in particular, the park vegetation. Park Hotel Tartuf and the manor house together form a protected cultural monument. The complex can therefore be understood as a historically shaped site with clearly recognisable links between architecture and parkland, without the individual buildings having the same history.

Ceramic Art at Pustý Chotár Manor House

A second cultural focus is located at Pustý Chotár Manor House in Beladice. The building was constructed around 1820 by the noble Jesenský family. Today it houses the Natural Gallery of Art Ceramics, which is open free of charge to tourists and the general public. For visitors, the combination of the historic building and its contemporary-oriented ceramic theme is particularly interesting.

The International Ceramics Workshop began in 1999 on the grounds of the heritage-listed Pustý Chotár Manor House. By 2009, a total of eight workshops had been held with more than 50 artists from 22 countries. Inside the manor house, a faience fireplace in the form of a pseudo-Renaissance sideboard dating from the 1890s has also been preserved. The manor house and original park were extensively reconstructed and renovated from 1998 to 2003.

Churches, Chapels and Historical Traces

In Veľké Chrašťany stands the present-day parish church of Saint John of Nepomuk, which was built from 1795 to 1804. The first church was built on the same site as early as 1332 but was destroyed by Turkish raids. Also in Veľké Chrašťany is the Sirániovský Manor House, a two-storey Classical building from the late 18th century that is currently in a ruined and abandoned state.

In Malé Chrašťany, the Chapel of the Holy Cross was built in 1863 by the Ramplet family as a family burial chapel and adapted for services in the 1980s. In front of house no. 17 stands a folk Baroque statue of Saint John of Nepomuk dating from 1766. In Pustý Chotár, the Church of Our Lady of Fatima was consecrated on 22 October 2000; the first construction work had begun on 25 February 1994.

Experience Beladice by Bike

The Dolnožitavská Cycling Route leads to Beladice. According to the route description, it is 43 km long, has an elevation gain of 77 metres and is suitable for road bikes and mountain bikes. This adds a clearly described, sport-oriented option to the cultural destinations around the manor houses, parklands and religious buildings.

More Locality Pages

For further options, you can also visit the locality pages for Slepčany, Beladice, Tesárske Mlyňany, Vieska Nad Žitavou, Topoľčianky, Veľké Vozokany, Zlatno and Nemčiňany.

To the overarching travel overview: Zlaté Moravce.