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BRODZANY MANOR HOUSE
The
oldest written document about Brodzany is from 1293. A typical Slovak village
of the Nitra river basin is recorded under the names of Brogan, Brogen, or
Borogen. Later the names Baragan and Baragyan were also added. Of interest
is the fact that as late as the 17th century the name Brogyan came into
being, referring to the Brogyányi family (the ending-yi being of
Hungarian origin).
As
it is documented in the first written record of 1293, the name of the
settlement Brogen originated undoubtedly from the word brod referring to
those people who lived by the ford. Archeological remains dating from
the 9th to the 13th centuries give convincing evidence of the existence
of the Old Slavic settlement of Brodzany. Other findings from the
surrounding areas of this village, as well as from the villages of Krásno
and Žabokreky nad Nitrou nearby, all provide further concrete evidence of
its existence in the centuries that followed.
According
to J. Stanislav and E. Pauliny, the present name of Brodzany was derived
from “…the root word brod (“ford”) and suffix-jany or-any, as
was common for place names that were derived from root words in the early
Slavic history of the territory occupied by the oldest Slavic tribes”.
In accordance with the views of these scholars the following progression
can be observed in the group of consonants: from dj to dž to dz. This
seems to suggest the reliability of the documentation related to
Brodzany and its nearest surroundings. Within this historical context it
is noteworthy that the family name of Brodziansky is always found in the
written documents as well as in its colloquial usage under its Hungarian
form, i.e. Brogyanyi. Already mentioned in 1293 as a class of ruling over
the Tekov castle serfs, the Brodzianskys began to rule over the village
as early as the 11th century. Brodzany was situated in the
north‑westernmost corner of the Tekov region in the Oslany district.
The
oldest archeological remains are from the surroundings of Brodzany and
date back to the prehistoric
period of the Linear Pottery Culture (around 5000 B.C.) Since that time
the existence of the settlement in the area of the Nitra river basin can
be traced up to the present day. Undoubtedly the most important finds of
prehistoric times were those excavated in a settlement feature found in
the area of Brodzany in 1953. On the basis of the excavations of upland settlements in Brodzany and later in Nitra. A new culture of prehistoric
Europe was discovered which had not been known until then. It became known
as the Brodzany-Nitra culture (3500‑3100 B.C.). However the area of
Brodzany is known for other important finds belonging to the Celtic and
Germanic settlements. Nevertheless, the most important finds are those of
the beginnings of the Slovak national history. The settlement of Brodzany,
therefore, did not originate in 1293, the date of the oldest written
document known, but much earlier in prehistory. There is abundant
documentation in the archives that record many important facts about the
ancient and modern history of the village, its feudal owners, and poor
serfs. The Brodzianskys having gradually lost their rights to any
property, the Kvaššay family took over the area in 1516. The continuous
disputes that lasted for many years between the earlier and later owners
of the Brodzany village, especially between the families of Brodziansky
and Kvaššay ended by the year 1844, when Brodzany became the property
of the Earl Gustav Vogl von Friesenhof, a successful Austrian diplomat in
the czar’s court in St. Petersburg. After the death of his first wife he
married sister of famous Russian writer A.S. Pushkin, Alexandria
Nikolajevna Goncar. With the arrival of the Vogl von Friesenhofs to Brodzany,
a totally new period
began in the life of the village. This was due to the large-scale cultural
activities organized under the patronage of the Princess Natalia
Oldenburg. Brodzany become universally recognized by many scholars of the
former Austro-Hungarian Empire and also by important cultural figures of
the Russian empire, such as the literary genius Pushkin, whose works
survived social, and political upheavals. The evidence of this ever-living
heritage is found in the newly renovated Renaissance manor where the
Pushkin Literary Museum is now housed.
If
the history of Brodzany is similar to that of other villages in the Nitra
river basin, it has, nevertheless, exceptional status in the cultural
life of Slovakia. The evidence of this is not only reflected in its
historical remains and important historical events, but also in the lives
of some of its inhabitants whose fame spread beyond the village and even
the borders of Slovakia.
Brodzany
manor house dates back to 1377. Next written record about the manor house
is from 1495. There is not too much information available until 1669 when
some extensive renovations had taken place during the ownership of the Kvaššay
family. They built four fortified towers at each corner of the manor
house. In the second half of the 17th century there were some
fortification adjustments due to the Turkish danger and due to the anti
Hapsburg uprising.
There
is a huge and beautiful park that surrounds the manor house.
Literature:
BRODZANY 1293-1993 commemorating 700th anniversary of the first written
mention of the village.
GO
TO SLOVAKIA'S CASTLES
Published in the Slovak Heritage Live
newsletter Volume
12, No.2, Summer 2004
Copyright © Vladimir Linder 2004
3804 Yale Street, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5C 1P6
The above article and photographs may not be copied,
reproduced, republished, or redistributed by any means including
electronic, without the express written permission of
Vladimir
Linder. All rights
reserved.
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