Originally a Renaissance manor house, built as a toll house with a fortified character, right in the village of Dolný Hričov, in the Bytčianska basin.
The manor is two-storey with a basement, and has a rectangular floor plan. It was originally built as a toll house with a defensive function with four bastions. The toll house had a passage where tolls were collected. The passage was abolished at the beginning of the 19th century. The manor house was modified in the first half of the 20th century, when three, probably rounded bastions were demolished. In the middle of the 20th century, a bastion was preserved on the NE corner, in which the toll collector and his guards lived. However, this last bastion was demolished during the adaptation of the manor to the cultural house in the years 1955-1956.The façade of the building was originally divided by windows, which in some places had a preserved lining with a cornice. Rooms on the ground floor have preserved Gothic vaults with lunettes, and upstairs rooms have flat ceilings and barrel vaults.
The manor house was probably built in 1556 for the Thurzo family by the Italian builder Ján Kilian from Milan, who was also involved in the reconstruction of the Bytča manor house. It was originally a landowner's toll house with a defensive character. The toll house had four bastions and a passage where tolls were collected. A toll collector with his guards lived in one of the bastions. The mentioned passage was abolished at the beginning of the 19th century.
Dolný Hričov was part of the Bytča estate, the last owners of the Eszterházy family sold it in 1868 to the rich timber merchant Leopold Popper. At the beginning of the 20th century, when the toll house was bought from Baron Popper by an urban community, the building was modified, during which three corner bastions were demolished.
After 1948, the manor belonged to the state and housed the Local National Committee, cinema, post office, library, cultural center, various offices etc. In the years 1955-1956, the manor house was converted into a cultural house, while the last bastion was demolished.
There are plans to turn the historic toll house in Dolný Hričov into an exhibition related to Hričov Castle. Related research revealed the original Renaissance plasters, which after the removal of modern plasters were preserved under the leadership of the restorer Peter Záhora. In addition to the original plaster, they also discovered a brick window, a fireplace or the original beam from the construction of the building. Georadar also made measurements at the site of the demolished tower, and apparently there are still foundations in the ground.
Other parts of the toll booth are also likely to be rebuilt in the future.
There are no myths available.
The manor serves the village as a cultural house