Valeapai (Valéapáj) – Caraș-Severin County
Valeapai, Ramna Commune, Caraș-Severin County. I stand in amazement before the ruins of an imposing building whose scale seems extraordinary for such a small Banat village. On the brink of collapse, the Athanasievich Mansion of Valeapai still dominates the village’s main street.
Athanasievich Mansion of Valeapai, built by Serbian nobles
Construction of Athanasievich Mansion began in 1840 under the patronage of a Serbian noble family. After acquiring the lands of Valeapai in recognition of their services to the Austrian Empire, brothers Marcel and Emil Athanasievich commissioned Serbian and Italian craftsmen to build the manor. The estate was later inherited by their niece, Maria Baich, daughter of Count Athanaz Baich of Varadia and Johanna Athanasievich. Her husband, Count Béla Tallián de Vizek, former Minister of Agriculture of the Kingdom of Hungary, subsequently leased the estate to the nobleman Béla Ambrózy de Séden et Remete, who later mortgaged the property.
Athanasievich Mansion of Valeapai became a maternity hospital
In 1917, the estate was purchased by Péter Riesz and his wife, Margit. The Riesz family remained in Valeapai until the late 1940s, when nationalization seized the estate. During the communist era, the Athanasievich Mansion served as a maternity hospital and later as the headquarters of the local agricultural collective. After 1989, the eclectic Neo-Classical palace was abandoned. The imposing brick building was devastated. The collapse of the roof accelerated the manor’s deterioration, while the magnificent portal of the main façade has disappeared entirely.
A secret tunnel was discovered beneath the Athanasievich Mansion of Valeapai
I tread carefully across the upper floor, riddled with holes through which I can see all the way down to the vaulted cellar. A similar sight must have greeted the workers who, in November 2019, discovered that what had long been dismissed as a local legend was, in fact, entirely real. During the construction of the village’s water supply and sewer network, a secret tunnel built of fired brick was unearthed. Stretching approximately 300 metres, the tunnel connected Athanasievich Mansion to the old mill of Valeapai. After archaeologists completed their investigations, the mysterious passage was covered once again. The remarkable discovery faded into obscurity, and the manor was left to continue its slow decay.
Although listed as a historic monument, the Athanasievich Mansion of Valeapai continues to wait in vain for restoration. Restituted to its heirs and later sold to families living abroad, the palace has remained in private ownership. The emblematic landmark of Ramna Commune continues to deteriorate with each passing day.