Šóšovský Manor House

The salt spring in what is now Solivar was already in use as early as 1223 and, owing to its value, constituted a significant asset. In 1288, King Ladislaus IV of Hungary bestowed it upon the nobleman Juraj, whose descendants began to use the name The Šóšov family.

Their estates stretched from Torysa through Slanské vrchy as far as the River Topľa. In 1346, a court confirmed their claim to part of the territory of today’s Hanušovce nad Topľou, which had already been granted town status in 1332.

The small manor house in Hanušovce nad Topľou It had been the property and ancestral seat of the Šóšovci family of Soľnobanská for at least since 1564; after 1592, it became the family’s sole ancestral seat following the destruction of the castle above Soľná Baňa.

The appearance of the manor house

It was built as a two-storey block structure exhibiting all the architectural features of the period (layout, stonework and sgraffito decoration) typical of a stately aristocratic residence intended as a home for the landowner and his family. At the time of its construction, the manor house was finished with smooth lime plaster featuring typical corner leaf sgraffito. 

Moulded stone jambs were fitted into the window openings, and in the main entrance there is a stone portal in the lintel bearing the inscription: STEPHANUS School Association, Year 1564. The stone sections were later removed and reused as building material. Following the outbreak of the anti-Habsburg uprisings in Hungary in the early 17th century, a circular tower was added to the southern corner of the manor house to enhance its defences. The construction of the tower transformed the manor house into a residential and defensive residence. Over the course of the 17th century, its residential function came to take precedence over its fortification function. The embrasures, as a defensive feature, have not been preserved. Later, alterations were made to the window openings and the stucco decoration of the vaults. The stucco decoration of the vaults has been preserved in its entirety on the first floor.

The manor house took on its final Renaissance appearance at the end of the 17th century. In the period that followed, the Dežöfi family, amongst others, emerged as the owners of the estates in Hanušovce nad Topľou; they built a house on a hill not far from the Small Manor House a new Baroque manor house with Renaissance features. It is said that the farm building next to the Small Manor House was used as the caretaker’s flat for the new manor house. 

Given that the new landowners of Hanušovce nad Topľou lived in a new, much more stately manor house, and that the building adjoining the Small Manor House had been converted into the steward’s residence, it can be assumed that the so-called ‘Small Manor House’ was also intended at that time for more minor, perhaps farm-related, or possibly residential purposes, though clearly not for the accommodation of members of the landowning family.

Until 1711 – the year of the death of a nobleman named „Joan de Soóso“ – the manor house probably also housed the Šóšov family archives. The aforementioned Joan, known as Ján in Slovak, has been buried since 1711 beneath the floor of what is now the Roman Catholic church in Hanušovce nad Topľou, approximately 50 metres from his manor house. This is indicated by a Latin inscription carved into a stone slab.

Today, Šóšovsky Manor (the Small Manor) is used for cultural and social activities, as a library and gallery, and as a small concert hall.

Šóšovský Manor House is part of The Castle Roads of Šariš

Source: The Town of Hanušovce nad Topľou
Photo source:OOCR RŠ