STRÁŽKY / Nagyőr / Nähre is a Slovak village by the Poprad river in the Zips region. First mentioned as a fortified place in a document in 1256, it was one of the northernmost earthworks during the reign of the Árpád dynasty. Its Hungarian and Slovak names denote its original function as a border marker. The rich Warkotsch family of Silesian immigrants had a Gothic castle built here. Parts of the castle were used for the construction of the mansion, which was built for Gergely Horváth-Stansith in the 1580s. It is a squat, quadrilateral storied edifice with corner turrets and a battlemented façade decorated with sgrafittos, which are characteristic of Upper-Hungarian-Renaissance buildings. The mansion is the oldest example of this peculiar style. Gergely Horváth-Stansith (1558-1597) was a noted humanist of the age. He studied in Italy and graduated from the University of Wittenberg. He was for some time a teacher in the school (1584-1711) he founded in Strážky. The mansion was acquired by the Baron Mednyánszky family in the 19th century. The painter László Mednyánszky spent the early years of his life here. He met Thomas Ender, who stayed in Strážky and made excursions in the nearby area to paint landscapes. The village had less than 500 inhabitants in the 1850s. Strážky is now a suburb of Spišská Belá.

Bibliography: Dénes Ferenc, Divald 1905, Jancsik, Malonyai, Posewitz, Szepesi