Renaissance-Baroque manor house (“Great”) in Hanušovce nad Topľou.
At the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, the Dessewffy family became the new owners of Hanušovce. The impressive manor house in the Renaissance-Baroque style was built by the brothers Jozef and Tomáš Dessewffy, who served under Maria Theresa, Queen of Hungary (1740 – 1780). The Latin text on the marble slab placed in the interior of the manor house speaks of this.
The main building has two storeys, four corner parts protruding to the space feature three storeys. The layout of the rooms inside the manor house followed the Baroque principle of axiality. The rooms feature barrel vaults and lunette vaults. The vaulted fields have a rich stucco decoration. The exterior of the manor house is rich in details, too. The mansard roof and the bell-shaped roofs of the towers give the manor house its unique look. The stucco finish of the windows is also rich. The main entrance portal features side pilasters with a supraport, which originally housed an inscription board (stored in the museum today) and a shield with the stone coat of arms of the Dessewffy family.
The building of the Great manor house is currently the seat of the Museum of Natural Studies in Hanušovce nad Topľou, which is responsible for documenting history and nature of the district of Vranov nad Topľou.
