By the end of the year, the Žilina region will have another new four-star hotel, on the road to the Malá Fatra. However, it is no newly-built developer’s project, but the renovated former 18th century Baroque château in Gbeľany. Peter Janíček, a native of Gbeľany, had been troubled for a long time by the fact that this valuable Baroque château was losing its original form and grandeur. He and his wife thus decided to buy the château and turn it into a hotel once renovated. They have taken exemplary care with its restoration.
It retains its genius loci
This cultural and historical monument has been part of the small village of Gbeľany for over two centuries, just a few kilometres from Žilina. Built in 1756, it was in an advanced state of decay when Peter Janíček decided to purchase it four years ago and bring it back to life. The basic leitmotif behind his initiative was to return the château to its original historic and artistic value via exemplary renovation work, and to give it a real purpose. For this reason, he actively communicated from the very beginning with experts on the renovation of listed buildings, and with heritage specialists. He was inspired by visits in person to several renovated castles and châteaux in Slovakia and abroad, which were transformed from ruins to high-quality hotels, with their new owners retaining their original heritage features. The layout of the Baroque château in Gbeľany is in the shape of a letter “U”, with its principal façade facing the main road, separated by the surrounding park. The main entrance on foot to the château, and the entrance to the wine cellar are located here. The château building has retained the noble status of the hotel. As well as the reception (decorated with restored and discovered artefacts from the château), two reception rooms, chapel and library, there are 28 rooms for hotel guests. The hotel has a variety of rooms, ranging from classic rooms, suites and family rooms to modern rooms. The ground floor has rooms with vaulted ceilings; the rooms on the first floor have a ceiling height of four metres and in the attic rooms guests can enjoy the exposed Baroque beams. The maisonette rooms have a charming atmosphere under the roof with skylight windows. Six rooms are furnished in a modern style as they are located in the new annexe. These rooms have balconies with a view of the park. The materials and accessories used - stone tiles and staircase, wooden flooring, wooden wire-brushed windows, interior doors and lime-wash plastering – all bring a large dose of historical authenticity. The same applies to the furnishings and interiors designed by Katarína Fialová. The forty-metre long cellar, located under the front wall of the château is currently restored, including its original 16th century vaults.
Citlivé napojenie
Na barokový kaštieľ nadväzovala samostatne stojaca hospodárska budova, ktorú pred dvadsiatimi rokmi značne staticky poškodil požiar. Práve tento hospodársky objekt sa dočkal obnovy ako prvý, pričom išlo o prakticky totálnu transformáciu. Všetci zainteresovaní - investori, pamiatkari aj autor návrhu dostavby Ing.arch. Viktor Šabík sa zhodli, že túto ruinu nebudú stavať do polohy pseudopamiatky. Vekovo aj štýlovo ju úplne odstrihli od kaštiela, no zároveň ju fyzicky prepojili s barokovou stavbou. Novovybudovaný objekt s fasádou zo sibírskeho smrekovca obsahuje celé technologické zázemie, dve bowlingové dráhy, fitnes, wellness priestory so šatňami. V jednom prepojovacom krídle sa nachádza bazén s východom do parku, v druhom našla miesto reštaurácia, lobby bar a kuchyňa so zázemím. Na druhom podlaží prístavby je kongresová sála s kapacitou 180 miest. Za prístavbou sa nachádza 45 parkovacích miest pre hotelových hostí a odtiaľ je aj vstup do podzemnej garáže s kapacitou 13 áut.
Dočká sa aj park
V budúcom roku sa dočká obnovy aj park. Majitelia ho plánujú ponechať v pôvodnej podobe. Naďalej sa budú starať o všetky dreviny, ktoré pri kúpe kaštieľa pred štyrmi rokmi arboristicky ošetrili. Najväčšie stromy, ktoré sú v súčasnom parku, boli vysadené v období výstavby kaštieľa. Poslední majitelia park príkladne udržiavali až do roku 1945, kedy museli kaštieľ opustiť. Po spustení hotela do prevádzky bude park prístupný nielen pre hotelových hostí, ale aj pre verejnosť. Majitelia tu plánujú park aj s wellnes priestormi a bazénom sprístupniť širšej verejnosti, nielen hotelovým hosťom a uvažujú aj o založení bylinkovej záhradky, ktorá bude slúžiť pre hotelovú kuchyňu.
Článok je publikovaný v čísle EUROSTAV 10/2015
Pripravila Darina Lalíková
Fotografie (vizualizácia) archív Kaštieľ Gbeľany