Brodzany, a small village within the Tekov area of Slovakia, bears an unlikely connection to the “founder of contemporary Russian literature,” Alexander Pushkin. His brother-in-law, Gustav von Friesenhof, owned a Seventeenth-century Renaissance manor within the village, and his household was deeply influenced by the author's work and creativity. Von Friesenhof's daughter Natalia von Oldenburg, specifically, grew to become an vital patron of the humanities in Slovakia and Germany. Though Pushkin by no means visited Brodzany throughout his brief life, his spouse and youngsters did see their family right here after his loss of life.
In the present day, the Brodzany manor home is a museum run by the Slovak Nationwide Library, capitalizing on the property's distinctive historical past. Alongside an exhibit in regards to the historical past of the manor and the Friesenhof household, together with their assortment of Russian artwork and artifacts, there are shows devoted to the Slovak literary relationship to Pushkin and Russia extra broadly. Guests can even stroll across the property's gardens, which function busts of well-known Slovak and Russian writers and the Friesenhof's chapel and tomb on the prime of a close-by hill.
