Sitting behind a rusting iron fence on overgrown, weedy grounds, the Barovia Burgomaster's Mansion was not well-taken care of, much like the rest of the Village of Barovia. The disturbances of battle were evident all around the manor, a result of constant terrorizing by Strahd von Zarovich. Despite the poverty of the village, the burgomaster traditionally employed at least one staff-person to cook meals and maintain the mansion. Given that the mansion was generally safer than the rest of Barovia, this position was coveted among the community.
The Burgomaster of the village was generally a hereditary position, though this lineage was often broken due to the constant death that haunted the community. When the title passed from Kolyan Indirovich to Ismark Kolyanovich after the former's death, he set on rebuilding the mansion.