Special Property: Dornava Manor

Executive summary

The Ministry of Culture is seeking to lease the Dornava Manor located in the south-eastern part of Slovenia to an investor willing to take over running the historic attraction as a cultural centre. The investor will have to complete the building work and equip the Dornava Manor to host exhibitions and other cultural events.

The estate having the floor area of approximately 3000 m2 – the castle and the park grounds - is situated in the immediate vicinity of Ptuj,  the oldest town in Slovenia dating back to the Roman times with much admired appearance originating from the Middle Ages. The castle has been named after a small settlement Dornava and there is the Pesnica River flowing close by. The Dornava Manor is the landmark of the landscape with its 1700 m long oblong axis of the Baroque gardens that forms a cross with a shorter transverse axis. There is a promenade with linden tress connecting the main building and the enclosed gardens adorned with the Baroque statues and ornamental elements. The axis traverses the transition vestibule of the manor and runs behind it through the inner courtyard surrounded with two side tracts, towards the well and further on. A simpler grass parterre with two symmetrical square sections ends with a fence enclosure. Through the portal we come to the clover-shaped Neptune fountain with a pool and a severely damaged statue of the deity in the midst of it.  Around the pool used to stand the figures of a dozen of gnomes and six ancient philosophers.  The axis of the park continued past the orangery and the greenhouse to the orchard, which was where the inner garden ended. In the outer part of the garden the axis opened in fan-like shape into a characteristic Baroque motif of three ray-like paths spreading in the shape of a little goosefoot. The middle axis stretches to the banks of the Pesnica River and ends with a statue of a saint.

The Baroque  Dornava Manor with its gardens was originally constructed for the Attemses family in the first half of the 18th century probably at the site of the caste built for the Herbersteins and Sauers. The Attemses added two wings of the pavilion type to the original simple two-story building and decorated the entire manor in the late Baroque style and completed the Dornava Manor by adding the gardens courtyard tracts and a nucleus of the landscaped grounds with the French gardens. 

Intended function

Since it is the only Baroque castle in Slovenia, its new owner will have to design the renovation works around the architectural constraints. The castle should serve as a cultural centre with halls to host exhibitions and music events, as well as a coffee shop and a restaurant, as already envisaged in the master plant. Limited accommodation facilities could be arranged in the attic for the persons engaged in running cultural events (performers and other staff) but no hotel accommodation will be allowed.

Total cost/budget

The renovation works have been estimated at 4,078.000 euros. The price tag for the renovation of the gardens is in the range of 10 million euros.

Advantages

Widely considered the most beautiful flatland manor, Dornava boasts excellent connections with the towns and tourist destinations in the vicinity, as well as with all countries in Europe and in the world thanks to Slovenia’s excellent transport infrastructure. The gardens can be extended into a much larger parkland, various events can be organized in the halls and in the open air, the layouts can be adjusted to meet the needs of the new owner and the space in the wings can also be adapted to new functions.