More information
Description
The aim of this project is renovation and restoration of selected interiors of an important representative Manor House in Voderady, national cultural monument which had been a long-term family residence of the noble family Zichy. The project is focused at renovation of that part of the spaces of the Manor House which will be a part of publicly accessible spaces. These spaces are located on the ground floor of the northwest wing of the Manor, which are interconnected and which create a functional and logical whole. The most significant space intended for renovation is the Chapel - used as a Gymnasium for a couple of decades. Furthermore, an Orangery as new social space shall be re-built. Beyond the interiors and the orangery, a pathway shall be made, in order to connect back side of the Manor House with the historical objects (grotte and obelisk) situated in the park. One project partner is the Voderady Municipality, which shall benefit from renovation of the Manor House and opening of the historical park. Association of Historical Hotels of Slovakia shall provide the project with basic know-how about the distribution of historical monuments offer to selected client segments. Fundamental importance of partnership with a Norwegian partner will be used via partner''s know-how in the area of mobilization and stakeholder participation, not only at the level of municipality but also other communities.
Summary of project results
Voderady Manor House is the oldest building in the village of Voderady and at the same time a national cultural monument with priority protection. The Manor House has been closed since 2007. The aim of the project was to contribute to the complex reconstruction of the Manor House which was under the reconstruction since 2020. The challenge of the project and the complex reconstruction of the Manor complex was to restore and maintain its historical value and to make the Manor complex publicly available. The reconstruction concerned the renovation of selected parts of interiors of this important representative manor house - the project was focused on the restoration of those parts of the premises which are part of the publicly accessible spaces - the Manor Chapel and two adjacents rooms, restoration of the defunct Orangery and revitalisation of the historical park (construction of a park path and restoration of the Grotta) . It included . In terms of history and restoration of historical values, the most important space of the Manor complex is the Manor Chapel which has been used as a school gym for several decades and it was restored in the first stage. The extensive restoration of this space required heavy machinery, which, due to the limited access and tight fits, was not standardly possible, resulting in having to open one of the walls of the former chapel and work from there. At the same time, the priority was to protect the adjacent park from natural decay. The second phase consists of the implementation construction works at the Orangery and park path with the Grotta).
The restoration work could not simply conclude only mere technical or visual aspects. A very important function of the manor was to bring the people and citizens together, to relax, to admire the beauty of the Manor house itself or the surrounding park, to participate in cultural and festive activities and events, such as weddings, celebrations and even business meetings. In order to achieve this, we have already organized several community events, such as virtuoso concerts, yoga in the park and Manor house tours, in addition to various panels and discussion events.
As far as the specific outputs of the project are concerned, the Manor and the surrounding complex was open to the public for the purposes of organizing various events. Thanks to the EEA and Norwegian grants it was possible to managed the reconstruction and restoration of the Manor Chapel and selected interiors and in addition to building an Orangery and the park path. Construction works started in July 2021 and they were fnished up to April 2024,
Already during the implementation of the project itself, theManor house was the site where various cultural and expert events took place - at first they took place in the exterior – Open Door Day, International Children’s Day. Later on, the events moved into the interior – bilateral meeting with the donor state partner from The Norwegian University College for Agriculture and Rural Development - they included lectures, seminars, art performances, exhibitions etc. The individual events were part of the continuous project reports and those events were very well-perceived by the visitors and local community. Also the reconstructio of the Manor itsself has been very well-perceived by the local community and the plan for events in the Manor complex is already prepared up to the end of 2024.
The project is finished and the Manor in Voderady is open to the public and provides various services such as accommodation, restaurant, wellness, Manor house tours and viewings and many others.
One of its contributions interesting for both the general and expert public is the new interactive exposition, which is focused on the Manor history, as well as that of the Zichy family, the owners of the manor from 1674, including the last noble owners Julius Zichy and his sister Klara Zichy with her husband Stefan Keglevic.
Manor Voderady used to be famous for its vast collection of artistic objects and rare tomes, part of which was unfortunately lost, stolen or destroyed after the Second World War in 1945. Both the owner and developer are exerting a great deal of effort to reunite the Manor with at least some of its original traits – to make it the destination of choice for education, culture and art.
Summary of bilateral results
Bilateral meetings with the partners from Norway proved extremely valuable thanks to their many years of expertise and unique points of view. Their support has also been appreciated by the SPP foundation, which awarded the manor the prestigious award Phoenix – Cultural Site of the Year. The promoter together with its partners, we were able to share knowledge with the community through various lectures and seminars, but also to receive it from experts, who have already seen and interacted with many similar projects. On the opposite site, the promoter has also enriched the knowledge pool of its partners and that experience can help to all subjects in advising on future projects. It is foreseen to continue the cooperation with the donor partners. The idea is to welcome the partners back in Voderady to attend various lectures and events that showcase the colourful pool of cultural heritage.