"Immediately next to the castle there is a vast park with many beautiful corners and a tower on the most extreme hill running towards Váh." This is how Alojz Medňanský described the park in Dubnice nad Váhom at the time. His travelogue, the Picturesque Road down Váhom, also led through this town, and the manor house and its immediate surroundings were of great interest to the traveling baron. In his colorful description, he did not miss the well-known Dubnica orangery : "In the long building, fruit-bearing orange trees grow in two rows, but not in boxes, but freely in the ground so that they can develop without hindrance." Comfortably and luxuriantly, these trees freed from shackles grow, I guess they don't even notice that their homeland has been changed..."

The place that captivated Medňanský in the 19th century has retained some of its beauty even years later. Ján Baltázár Magin Park is still one of the sought-after and popular locations. Several footpaths that cross it create ideal conditions for relaxation and sports enjoyment. The director of the Dubnické Museum, Monika Schwandtnerová, recalls that originally there was a vegetable garden on the site of today's park. "The first written mention of it dates back to 1642. Only later did it begin to be transformed into a park, after 1726, when Jozef Ilešházi was the owner of the manor house," she explained. A French park was first created near the manor house, which included, for example, a zoo or a rock maze. In the 19th century, the noble owners decided to transform it into a freer English-style park, which was completed by small architecture. Top gardeners took care of the vast grounds. There was also a technically advanced irrigation system that was used for the rose garden and the flower garden on the edge of the area. The current area of the park is approximately 49,000 square meters. It has been classified as a protected cultural monument since 1942 and is currently owned by the city. In its area, there are primarily lindens, which have the largest presence, followed by yews, maples and beeches. Some time ago, birdhouses for birds and bats were added to the branches of some trees. The park is named after the enlightened scholar Ján Baltázár Magin, who lived part of his life in Dubnica nad Váhom.

photo: Stanislav Hladký