Chateau Appony ****, Oponice
Chateau Appony, Oponice
Check-in
Check-out

Library

The mysterious room or the thirteen chamber of the manor house, as the guests call it, hides a real treasure in books, a strong storyline and unflagging energy that you can feel once you cross the threshold of this room.

     The book collection of the Apponyi family is known today as the Apponyian Library (Bibliotheca Apponiana). It was founded in 1770 by Anton Juraj Apponyi (1751-1817) in Vienna and originally had about 30,000 volumes. Its collections included over 400 incunabula, Dante's Divine comedy with illustrations by S. Boticceli and Gutenberg's Bible from 1455. Later, the library was moved to Bratislava and in 1827-1846 it served as a public library. It was the first public library in Bratislava and Upper Hungary. After some discord with the city, Count Anton Apponyi (1782-1852) moved the library to the family mansion in Oponice, and built a separate gallery known as the northern wing. It has an atemporal design with huge French patio doors leading into a magnificent park and ingenious galleries that enable access to all the books. After more than 165 years, the library and the mansion were awarded by the Architect's Team and won the Phoenix Wing - a prestigious award that evokes the rise of the Phoenix from the ashes.

     The fate of the library was to be sealed after 1948, when the Communists made it a granary. For eight years, grain was stored in the library, along with books. The unbelievable barbarity was interrupted in 1956-58 by the Franciscan and political prisoner Vševlad J. Gajdoš, commissioned by Matice slovenská. Gajdoš catalogued and cleansed the library, saving it from destruction and burning. The books were stored in the mansion until 1972, when they were moved, in a pitiful condition, to the state warehouses in Martin, and the interior furnishings of the library were burned in the park.

     In 2007-2011, the manor house and the library were reconstructed by the Slovak-Swiss consortium IP Slovakia and, in agreement with the Slovak National Library, a contract was signed for the restoration of the Apponyian Library back to the renovated premises of the manor house. The rebuilding of the library interior was based on designs, postcards and photos and carried out by almost 100 joiners from Zvolen. It now belongs to the most beautiful historical interiors in Slovakia.

     There are rare works in the library, dating from 1515 to 1940, that attract visitors attraction, such as Macchiavelli, Petrarca, Bruno, Galilei, Da Vinci, Dumas, Balzac, Newton and Linné and many others.

Opening hours and price list
During wintertime (1.9. - 31.5.)
Monday Closed
Tuesday - Friday 9:00 - 15:00
Saturday 13:00 - 16:00
Sunday and bank holiday 12:00 - 15:00

 

During summertime (1.6. - 31.8.)
Monday Closed
Tuesday - Friday 9:00 - 15:00
Saturday, Sunday and bank holiday 10:00 - 15:00

 

Admission 6 €/person
Students, seniors and handicapped 3 €/person
Location

Oponice 271
956 14 Oponice, Slovenská republika

Pozrite sa na mapu
Newsletter

Join our Newsletter and stay tuned for latest news.

In order to provide services at the highest level, the Service uses cookies stored in the browser's memory. Detailed information about the purpose of their use, including processing of user activity data and advertising personalization, as well as the possibility to change cookie settings, can be found in the Privacy Policy.
By clicking ACCEPT ALL, you consent to the use of technologies such as cookies and to the processing by I&P Slovakia, a.s., Oponice 271, 956 14, Oponice, of your personal data collected on the Internet, such as IP addresses and cookie identifiers, for analytical and marketing purposes (including automated ad targeting, measuring their effectiveness, and processing user data for analytical purposes). You can change cookie settings and detailed consent preferences in the settings.

Manage privacy settings
Essential cookies

Cookies necessary for the operation of services available on the website, enabling browsing offers or making reservations, supporting security mechanisms, including user authentication and abuse detection. These files are required for the proper functioning of the website. They do not require your consent.

Analytical cookies

Cookies allowing the collection of information about the user's use of the website in order to optimize its functioning and adapt it to user expectations. By consenting to these cookies, you agree to the processing of data regarding your activity on the site for analytical purposes.

Marketing cookies

Cookies enabling the display of marketing content tailored to the user's preferences and directing marketing offers to them corresponding to their interests, including information about user activity, products, and services of the site administrator and third parties. Consent to these cookies means that your data may be used for advertising personalization and analysis of the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns.

Your preferences have not yet been saved