September 15, 2026
A beautiful Baroque manor near Žilina fell into disrepair for years, until it was taken on by people who approached its restoration with love and patience. Today it is a hotel with 34 rooms and a restaurant run by a chef who came back after eighteen years in London. It is also a place full of rest and possibility, one you never quite want to leave.
How the Ruin Was Saved
Château Gbeľany, a manor with more than 250 years of history, fell into decline for decades. The interior was damp, the parquet buckled, radiators cracked in winter, part of the roof was missing and the former English park had turned into a jungle of self-seeded scrub. Peter Janíček, today’s owner, grew up in Gbeľany, walked past the manor to school and watched for years as the place slowly decayed. He decided to change that. The reconstruction began in January 2014, was approved for use at the end of October 2015, and was overseen by the Regional Monuments Board in Žilina.
“During the reconstruction we tried to preserve everything original that was in a condition worth preserving. Where that was no longer possible, we did not want to imitate historical elements but to be honest about what is historical and what was created in the modern era,” says Peter Janíček.
The Baroque concept of the manor was preserved, along with the original structure of the walls and vaults, the almost three-hundred-year-old Baroque roof truss, the historic well in the courtyard and the little tower, today accessible as a lookout. Among the treasures they count a massive lime-wood banister from 1789 and a 400-year-old stone portal and coat of arms of one of the families that owned the manor; both are now in the entrance hall. Three ash trees damaged by lightning were used to make seven staircases, and from the sound parts of spruce beams more than 260 years old came the furniture in the wine cellar and the manor’s entrance doors.
A Place for Rest and Fun
Today the manor has 100 beds, from standard rooms through superior and deluxe to suites, including rooms with loggias, a barrier-free room and maisonette rooms.
“The accommodation naturally links the historic part of the manor with the newer extension. The attic rooms keep the original Baroque roof truss on show, while the newer part brings rooms with a balcony and a view of the park,” describes Repáňová. President Zuzana Čaputová held official meetings in one of the most beautiful historic suites.
Part of the stay is a wellness area with five saunas, a pool, a tepidarium, a cold plunge pool and an outdoor hot tub. “We deliberately keep the capacity of each session limited. That way guests do not arrive to an overcrowded space, and we can make sure the area is prepared and clean before every entry.”
After 7 p.m. the wellness area is adults only. The manor also has a gym, bowling, billiards, a library, a historic wine cellar and the English park.
The Two-Toque Cuisine of Richard Svrček
The kitchen of the Belene restaurant is led by Richard Svrček, who found his way to cooking in childhood thanks to his mother. He trained as a chef in Žilina, worked in the Tatras and spent 18 years in London: he started in an Italian restaurant, later worked at the five-star One Aldwych hotel, at the seafood restaurant J. Sheekey and in the restaurants of London banks.
“I work from modern European cuisine. Every dish has to have a balance of flavours, a memorable character and a play of textures,” he says of his philosophy.
The menu changes with the season, roughly four times a year. “It is not about creating the most complicated plate possible, but about finding the right balance of flavours, textures and individual ingredients.” He also cares about where the ingredients come from: the sheep’s cheese, for instance, is from a farm in Oščadnica, the beef from BIOFarma Jedľovník. His desserts are exceptional, and at a recent tasting dinner it was precisely those, and his work with fennel, peaches and pistachios, that stood out.
The manor also helps raise the next generation of cooks and waiters: it has worked with the Hotel Academy in Žilina for ten years now, and for the third year running its students are part of the team that, at the annual tasting dinner, prepares selected courses on its own, serves and presents the wines.
Weddings, Concerts and Hollywood Productions
The manor hosts conferences, corporate events, weddings, team-building and private celebrations, and it also creates its own programme: concerts, tasting dinners and events devoted to historic cars.
“We try not to say no to clients, but instead to look for solutions, for ways to meet their requests so that both sides are happy,” says event manager Gréta Zavoďančík.
The most unusual stay began with an ordinary enquiry about a few rooms for two weeks. “It was only over the following weeks of planning that we found out it was the crew and actors of an American film production,” recalls Repáňová. For about two weeks the manor housed crew members and actors from the film Matchbox, directed by Sam Hargrave, among them John Cena, Jessica Biel and Daniel Bernhardt. US Navy SEALs even worked with the hotel on the security plan, and the whole stay was kept secret; the media learned of the visit only after the crew had left.
Weddings are a chapter of their own: the ceremony can take place in the English park or in the church right next to the manor, the reception carries on in the courtyard, and a couple can book the manor’s entire capacity for two days.
The nearest events worth a visit are Svetlonos for families with children (30 October 2026, this year with a pirate theme) and a New Year’s Eve evening (31 December 2026).
A Place with Soul
The manor is superbly located, a few minutes from Žilina yet within reach of the Malá Fatra mountains, Terchová and the Vrátna Valley. The Jánošíkove diery gorges are a popular destination, and Strečno Castle and Budatín Castle are close by too. But for anyone who just wants a good weekend, there is plenty to do on the grounds themselves.
“More than anything, we would like people to feel here as if they are in a place they can belong to for a while. So they do not always have that feeling of needing to go somewhere and get something done,” says Repáňová. They can have a morning coffee on the terrace, walk through the park, go to the wellness area, have a massage, play a game of bowling, sit down with a book in the library, or simply stay in the manor and not deal with anything at all.
Château Gbeľany is today a place it is easy to form a bond with, thanks above all to the sincere love and care of the whole team, starting with the owners.
