The dominant of Palárikovo is the manor house, which was built in 1866 by Count Alojz Károlyi on the site of the original aristocratic residence. The late Baroque building was rebuilt in the neoclassical style in the 19th century. Originally had 90 rooms and served as a hunting castle. During World War II, a military hospital was established here, and later the Soviet Army headquarters were located here. In 1948 the mansion was nationalized and is now the property of the state enterprise Woods of SR. Since 2010 it has been a permanent exhibition of the best deer trophies in the world. The mansion also includes an extensive park of more than 50 hectares, which is also open to the public. It is one of the largest parks in Slovakia. It was designed by architect Mikuláš Ybl, who managed to create amazing optical illusions here, far-reaching views of the park, complemented by a network of paths suitable for horse riding. To this date, a unique all-wood water tower has been preserved from the original park, which has been reconstructed, with more than 60 percent of the original parts being used during the renovation. ”
Who knows what would happen with the wooden water tower in Palárikov, if the enthusiastic architect Peter Hudák hadn't been there. He was the first who pointed out that the unique construction of an unused water tower in the park of the Karolyi mansion threatens to disappear. Initial peripetia eventually resulted in architectural-historical research, static securing of structures and subsequent comprehensive restoration of the tower and engine room completed in 2014.
The building of the water tower has been one of the buildings of the Károlyi mansion complex since its inception and its author is most probably the Hungarian architect Mikuláš Ybl, who was entrusted with the construction work on the mansion at the time of the construction. The waterworks supplied stables, water meters in the park, a small liquor store and other objects of a large farmyard.
The building itself consists of a wooden five-storey tower with an iron tank at its top and an extension of the engine room, which houses a well and a steam engine with a pump. The steam boiler was built for security reasons outside the wooden building. When the reconstruction began, the tower had damaged statics and cladding, and the original engine room with half-timbered construction was replaced by a valuable brick extension. During the restoration, several discoveries were made which might have altered the original project documentation.
When you arrive at the park you will be attracted by the dominant tower construction. Thanks to the wooden cladding and the neo-renaissance morphological elements of the facade, it resembles illustrations from Russian rich fairy tales.