Brodzany, a small village in the Tekov region of Slovakia, bears an unlikely connection to the “founder of modern Russian literature,” Alexander Pushkin. His brother-in-law, Gustav von Friesenhof, owned a 17th-century Renaissance manor in the village, and his family was deeply influenced by the writer’s work and creativity. Von Friesenhof’s daughter Natalia von Oldenburg, in particular, became an important patron of the arts in Slovakia and Germany. Although Pushkin never visited Brodzany during his short life, his wife and children did see their relatives here after his death.
Today, the Brodzany manor house is a museum run by the Slovak National Library, capitalizing on the property’s unique history. Alongside an exhibit about the history of the manor and the Friesenhof family, including their collection of Russian art and artifacts, there are displays dedicated to the Slovak literary relationship to Pushkin and Russia more broadly. Visitors can also stroll around the property’s gardens, which feature busts of famous Slovak and Russian writers and the Friesenhof’s chapel and tomb at the top of a nearby hill.
