Kaštieľ v Ivanke pri Dunaji

The manor house in Ivanka pri Dunaji is situated roughly 14 kilometres north-east of Bratislava, nestled within the greenery of an extensive park. It was originally built in the Rococo style during the second half of the 18th century for the noble Grassalkovich family, who retained ownership for nearly a century. After the male line of the family died out in 1841, the estate was auctioned off and purchased by Mihailo Obrenović, a Serbian prince living in Viennese exile. It was here, in 1855, that Ľudovít Štúr — then under police surveillance in nearby Modra — paid a secret visit to the prince's residence; a commemorative plaque on the building marks this historic encounter.

Following a fire that struck Ivanka in 1856, Obrenović replaced the damaged south-western section of the building with a tower that served as a water reservoir. In the early 20th century, the new owners, the Hunyady family, undertook extensive alterations in the Neo-Gothic and Art Nouveau styles. The façades were adorned with Romanesque and Gothic elements — oriel windows, tracery, balconies and decorative window frames — while the polygonal tower crowned with a helm roof bears a distinctly Art Nouveau character.

In January 1943 the Jesuits purchased the property and established a boarding house for pupils attending their Bratislava grammar school. After 1948 the communist regime nationalised the estate and transferred it to the Board of Agriculture. Following the Velvet Revolution, the property was returned to the Society of Jesus through restitution. Today, after thorough renovation, the manor houses two institutions: the Jesuit Loyola Spirituality Centre and the Anton Neuwirth College — a residential college inspired by the Oxford collegiate tradition, offering a two-year programme focused on philosophy, the relationship between Christianity and culture, and personal development.