Surroundings

Bratislava, Vienna and Budapest within easy reach.

The proximity and accessibility of three beautiful and historic cities from Oponice are truly tangible and rooted in an understanding of the past, as members of the Apponyi family served at the imperial court in Vienna and had palaces not only in Vienna, but also in Bratislava and Budapest.

Oponice Castle

Human quarrels among the Apponyi family led them to decide to abandon the castle at the beginning of the 17th century and leave it to its fate. It fell into disrepair and in 1708 became a stronghold of the rebel army of Francis II Rákóczi, thereby sealing its fate of total destruction. After the uprising was suppressed by the imperial army, it was demolished along with the other Slovak castles and has been in ruins ever since.

In the 19th century, it became a popular subject for writers, poets and painters, who found peace and inspiration here. The Apponyi family naturally continued to feel a patriotic attachment to the castle and maintained it until the 1930s. After the Second World War, it was sporadically maintained until around the 1960s. Oponice May Day celebrations were held here, but these events were gradually abandoned as well; the castle began to deteriorate and become overgrown with invasive shrubs and trees.

Better times began to dawn for the castle in 2000, when a group of enthusiasts founded the Apponiana civic association in Oponice, whose aim was to save the castle as a landmark of Oponice and the region. Since then, the castle has been cleared of hundreds of invasive trees and saplings growing out of its walls, the deterioration of the masonry has been slowed, and regular mowing and removal of these harmful plants has prevented the continued destruction of the castle grounds. The tremendous efforts and tireless enthusiasm of the handful of enthusiasts, who face not only Mother Nature every year, deserve special recognition. The volunteers even managed to rebuild the ruined south-western Tereš Tower, once an important landmark of the castle. They are the first since the Rákóczi uprising to have achieved something like this in 300 years.

A hiking trail from the village currently leads to the castle. In the village itself, by the entrance gate to the park of the large manor house, there is a large information board about the castle in three languages, where visitors can obtain initial information about this landmark. From the village, a brisk 30-minute walk will take you to the castle, where you will be rewarded with a majestic stone seat rising from the Tribeč Mountains and a panorama of the valley stretching from Zobor to the Bánovce region.

Indeed, Oponice Castle is an extraordinary tourist attraction and, as Ľ. Janota once wrote, its “charred walls, marked by centuries of nostalgia, remind us of the stumps of an old man who is coming to terms with the thought of complete annihilation and resignedly gazes into the grave.”

Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

The first mention of the church dates back to 1244. The church was probably built during the 12th century; its original patrons were castle knights from Malé Oponice. This Romanesque, thatched-roof church was demolished at the end of the 18th century to make way for a new, neoclassical Church of St. Peter and St. Paul. This took place in 1793. It enjoyed a celebrated era not only when it was opened by Nitra Bishop František Xaver Fuchs, but also in the following years, when Masses in Oponice were celebrated by priests who were members of the “Society,” including Hollý, Komlóssy, Kubicza and Valachy. The latter was criticised by his contemporaries for completing the church’s heavy stone tower, which caused the church to crack and develop structural problems; this is why steel reinforcements have been visible in the ceiling elements of the church ever since. Jozef Lindenbauer, an excellent chronicler and parish priest in one person, also left behind a wealth of records in the parish registers from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The church houses a rare one-manual organ commissioned by the local Countess Žofia Sztárayová. In 1869, it was built by the organ master Ján Šaško of Brezová (1807-1893). The organ’s manual has a range of 54 keys, originally covered with ivory and ebony. The instrument has a total of 620 pipes. The church still contains several valuable liturgical objects, such as a chalice made by the Italian Countess Terézia Nogarolla, wife of Anton Apponyi (1782-1852), as well as precious 19th-century vestments made by Krickl & Schweiger Vienna. The church bells are noteworthy, as they were installed in the year the First World War broke out, a conflict that was by no means favourable to bells. The last bell was added in 1925.

Apponyi Family Tomb

The final resting place of the most prominent members of the Apponyi family, who rest near their beloved manor house and precious library. The noble Apponyi family tomb, which is connected to the Oponice Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, is also the resting place of Ľudovít Apponyi, the father of the Albanian queen. The tomb is also the final resting place of Anton Apponyi, a prominent diplomat of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, and Henrich Apponyi, the last owner of the Oponice estate, a great bohemian and passionate traveller.

Before entering the tomb, visitors are drawn to the massive sculpture of the Apponyi coat of arms, which most probably dates from the first half of the 19th century and comes from the former Apponyi public library in Bratislava, housed in a palace on Kozej Street. The library was later moved to the manor house in Oponice.

The last person laid to rest in the tomb was Count Henrich Apponyi, who died in 1935 under circumstances that remain unexplained. His pompous funeral was celebrated by Nitra Bishop Karol Kmeťko. After that, the crypt was accessible only briefly, during the Second World War. When the tomb was opened in 1993, a sarcophagus containing Count Henrich’s remains stood in the centre, with an armchair and a prie-dieu beside it. It looked as though the funeral had just taken place.

When the tomb was opened, 139 ribbons were found, and they testify to the people who attended the Apponyi family’s final farewell. Among them are names such as Andrássy, Stummer, Károly and Pálffy, as well as other distinguished families.

Admission can be booked in advance by telephone at 0915 851 883 (Ondrej Šomodi).

Apponyi Museum

The small manor house in Oponice was built at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries and currently houses a municipal museum with numerous exhibits connected with the Apponyi family. The manor house was originally owned by the Bartakovič family, whose members are buried in the northern tomb of the local church. The Apponyi family acquired the manor house in the 19th century, but never used it as a residence. In 1924, Count Henrich Apponyi transferred it to the municipality because of arrears in municipal taxes. It has belonged to the municipality of Oponice ever since. During the period of the First Czechoslovak Republic and after the Second World War, it was used for various purposes. The manor house has housed a museum since 1992.

The ground floor of the museum features an exhibition of artefacts from Allied aircraft that crashed in the Tribeč Mountains, as well as an exhibition dedicated to vintage vehicles. The entire first floor of the manor house is furnished with period Apponyi furniture. Here you will find hunting trophies, sacred objects and many other period items.

Admission can be booked by telephone at 0907 494 759 (Erika Kunkelová).

English Park

For those whose eyes long to feast on greenery and water, we invite you to our park. It is enchanting in every season. In spring, when life awakens and nature is in full bloom, you may encounter a squirrel or a hare, and sometimes even a stray roe deer from the nearby forest. In summer, the park is full of greenery, and beneath the spreading crowns of plane trees, ash trees and oaks you will find pleasant shade and be refreshed by the scent of grasses and meadow flowers. Autumn in the park is truly unique, changeable and unpredictable, like the nostalgic tones of Chopin’s music, which he wrote for the local countess...

Oponice Cellars and Vineyards

Those of you who wish to explore the nearby surroundings can visit the historic cellars beneath Oponice Castle, where you can savour high-quality varieties of wine from local vineyards and experience the flavour and truth of the turbulent times of the Middle Ages.

Admission can be booked by telephone at 0902 285 618 (Ing. Samuel Barantál Ph.D.)