Slovensky Raj Off The Beaten Path

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The manor house stands in a fine but not well maintained French park with three graded terraces. It looks like they forget to hire gardener there. A summer villa named Dardanelli stands on the highest of them.
This summer villa is seat of the museum of keyboard instruments and is really outstanding monument of Rococo architecture in this part of Slovakia. The summer villa was built in last third of the 18th century by Wolfgang Mariassy. The reason for this decision was the planned visit of the Austrian Emperor Joseph II to the region of the Spis. Finally, the visit wasn’t realised (Emperor just changed his mind in the very last moment) and so the summer villa fulfilled a role of representative seat and place for music performance. Since 1984 is there exhibition shows keyboard musical instruments: small organs, pianos, clavichord... The principal representative room in the summer villa is the lounge on the first floor with wonderful frescos of mythological topics. The lounge also serves as concert hall.

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The manor house was built in 1643 in the renaissance style and is connected with the rich Mariassy family. In 1770 – 1775 the manor house was rebuilt in rococo style. In the year 1933, manor and the rest of the Mariassy´s properties was bought by Alexander Wieland and in the year 1945 the properties together with the manor house was confiscated by state. From 1959 until 1984 it served as furniture museum. After the reconstruction works was in 1994 installed an new exhibition of historical furniture. The exhibition shows the development of furniture styles in different periods. On the first floor is exhibited furniture from Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Classicism, Empire, Biedermeier period. The last exhibition room on the first floor is called the conference hall of Csaky family where is furniture in neo gothic style. The ground floor of manor house is devoted to historicism (neo style), the Art Nouveau style and furniture from the beginning of the 20th century.

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The core of the town is a lens-shaped square (a square with bulging sides) caled Radnicne namestie, typical of medieval towns. It is a cultural, administrative and business centre of the Spis region, and is rich in art and historical monuments. beside churches and administrative buildings on the centre of the square there are plenty of other buildings that has interesting facades erected in different styles but make and homogenous and fine cpmplex.

Spis Theatre or Reduta is National cultural monument that was build in early 20th century (1902). From architectonical point of view building is really interesting and monumental. I didn't see interior so can't say much about this (I found on the internet that this building is one of the "best looking" theatres in Slovakia). It was very hard for me to get at least one good photo of this building... there was some kind of fair in Spisska Nova Ves and all that street market stands didn't allow me to make it properly.

The town erected the Town Hall or Radnica in the classicist style in the 1770 after Empress Maria Theresia declared Spisská Nova Ves the centre of the Spis province and the administrative seat of the region. It has since served as the main meeting point for locals during rallies and other public gatherings. This building is fitted between Roman-Catholic and Evangelical church on the main square and you deffinatelly wouldn't miss it.

This grey/blue and white structure next to Town Hall is Evangelical church of Spisska Nova Ves. Spis region had a stong protestant community in 17th, 18th and 19th centuries but there are not so many of them now. This church was erected in late 18th century in simplified baroque style. Unfortunatelly, we didn't have chance to get inside.

The building of the Spis Museum is, from the historical and architectonical point of view, one of the most interesting buildings that can be found in the town of Spisska Nova Ves. Its foundations were probably laid in the 15th century. Later on it housed the town hall, and since 1774 it has been the seat of the newly-established province of 16 towns of the Spis region - the Province House. Facade is decorated by rococo stucco decoration of six cartouches which presents assumed natures of mayors. Nowadays the building, with its interesting facade and cartouches, is one of the town's dominant features. Since 1951 it has also been used as a museum.