Discover Beladice

Beladice lies in the Danubian Lowland on the Žitava Tableland. The Drevenica flows through the town; it rises below the Tribeč Mountains and empties into the Žitava. This sequence places Beladice in relation to three named geographical features: the lowland, the Tribeč Mountains and the Žitava River. Manor houses, churches and ceramic art are among the town’s cultural highlights. If you are planning a stay, its architectural history and varied historical themes offer a particularly good way to get to know the town.

Manor Houses and Ceramic Art

The Szentiványi Manor House was extensively remodelled in 1874 for O. Sentiváni, based on plans by V. Balogh. The building was given a Romantic Neo-Baroque Classicist style. Its main façade faces the park. Coffered ceilings and wooden wall panelling have been preserved on the ground floor—two specific interior details that draw attention from the building’s exterior to its design inside.

The park also adds to the picture of the manor house: its rare deciduous trees include linden and poplar in particular. The park is also home to the Szentiványi family mausoleum, dating from 1874. The remodelling of the manor house and the mausoleum therefore share the same year, but describe different parts of the estate.

Another historical highlight is the Pustý Chotár Manor House. The noble Jesenský family had it built around 1820. Inside, a faience fireplace in the form of a pseudo-Renaissance serving cabinet, dating from the 1890s, has been preserved. The manor house and its original park underwent extensive reconstruction and renovation from 1998 to 2003. The building date, interior feature and later restoration thus belong to three clearly distinct periods.

The Natural Gallery of Art Ceramics is located in the Pustý Chotár Manor House. It is free to visit for tourists and the general public; check the latest visitor information before your visit. The International Ceramics Workshop began in 1999 on the grounds of the listed manor house. By 2009, a total of eight workshops had been held, with more than 50 artists from 22 countries taking part. These figures describe the programme’s history up to 2009, not a present-day recurrence.

Churches and Historical Periods

The present-day parish church of Saint John of Nepomuk stands in Veľké Chrašťany. It was built from 1795 to 1804. The first church on the same site was built as early as 1332; it was destroyed during Turkish raids. The documented history of churches at this location therefore spans from the first church in the 14th century to the construction of the present place of worship in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The Chapel of the Holy Cross in Malé Chrašťany tells a different story. The Ramplet family built it in 1863 as a family tomb; in the 1980s, it was adapted for services. 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. These two dates show the interval between the start of construction and the consecration, while keeping this building’s history distinct from the older church chronology in Veľké Chrašťany.

Public art also includes the folk Baroque statue of Saint John of Nepomuk from 1766, located in front of house No. 17. The Sirániovský Manor House in Veľké Chrašťany is in a different state of preservation: a two-storey Classicist building from the late 18th century, it is currently an abandoned ruin. Together, these examples show different facets of the town’s history, from religious buildings and public art to a manor house in ruins.

Landscape and Cycling Route

If you are planning to include a cycling route alongside visits to historic buildings, there is information available about the Dolnožitavská cycling route, which leads to Beladice. A regional guide from 2002 lists it as 43 kilometres long, with 77 metres of elevation gain, and says it is suitable for road bikes and mountain bikes. As these route details date from 2002, check the route before setting out. This keeps the town’s cultural attractions and the cycling route as two distinct starting points for planning your trip.

Discover more destinations: Lovce, Martin Nad Žitavou, Mankovce, Hostie, Ladice, Nemčiňany, Červený Hrádok, Topoľčianky.

For the overview of the wider area: Zlaté Moravce.