Brežice Castle
Brežice Castle (Slovene: Grad Brežice, German: Schloss Rann) is a 16th-century castle in the town of Brežice, in southeastern Slovenia, at the street address Cesta prvih borcev 1.[1]
As with the town, the castle's name derives from the diminutive plural of the Slovene word breg, 'riverbank', in reference to the nearby Sava and Krka rivers.[1]
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Chapel_ceiling_of_Bre%C5%BEice_castle_%28Slovenia%29.jpg/220px-Chapel_ceiling_of_Bre%C5%BEice_castle_%28Slovenia%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Hall_of_Knights_north_wall_%28Bre%C5%BEice_Castle%29.jpg/220px-Hall_of_Knights_north_wall_%28Bre%C5%BEice_Castle%29.jpg)
A wooden fortification was present at the site long before 1241, when
In 1479, the Brežice area was caught up in a war between the Emperor
During the great peasant revolt of 1515, local Carniolan nobility appealed for help to the ban of Croatia, who dispatched a force under the knight Marko of Klisa. En route, the knight captured some 500 wives and children of the rebellious peasants and sold them into slavery in the Croatian Littoral. A force of 900 peasants subsequently gathered at Brežice, awaiting Sir Marko, who burned down the town before retreating into the castle, which the enraged rebels then stormed, killing him and his retainers before burning it.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/Hall_of_Knights_%28Bre%C5%BEice_Castle%29.jpg/275px-Hall_of_Knights_%28Bre%C5%BEice_Castle%29.jpg)
The castle was under repair until 1528, when it again burned down. Due to the intensification of Turkish raids, the Habsburgs now began a rapid building program, intended to fortify the Border March. On 22 January 1529, emperor
In addition to surviving Turkish raids, the castle was the only fortress in the Lower Sava Valley to withstand another peasants' revolt in 1573, led by Ilija Gregorič. The corners towers were defended by three cannons each, preventing close action.
In the mid-17th century, the castle passed from the hands of the
In addition to filling in the moats, a terrace was built up beneath the south wing, making room for orchards and gardens. Around 1720 the west wing was remodeled, and a great staircase and chapel built, the walls of each being decorated by Styrian painter Franc Ignac Flurer between 1715 and 1732. The Attems had the castle re-roofed in the second half of the 18th century; the towers were given mansard roofs at the same time.
The castle was significantly damaged by an earthquake that struck the town of Brežice on January 29, 1917, during World War I, at which time the great hall served as a military hospital. The Counts Attems retained the estate until its nationalization in 1945, for a total tenure of 251 years.
Current
Immediately after the war, the castle was divided into apartments for 26 families. In 1949, the castle became the home of the
The castle is a frequent venue for cultural events, including concerts of the Brežice Festival. The great hall is also a popular location for marriages. The castle's basement has been occupied by a wine cellar, the Castle Cellar (Slovene: Grajska Klet), since 1946.[2]
Less widely known is the use of the castle, especially the picturesque Knights Hall, as a location for filming a number of foreign films in the period just before the breakup of
It is located at the south end of the town's main street. Hours are 8-14:30 weekdays, 10-14:00 Sundays and holidays.
Architecture
The castle is an excellent example of a renaissance flatland fortification, and retains its trapezoidal 16th-century layout. Records suggest construction took place in three phases: between 1530 and 1550, the basic fortress took shape, with four corner towers connected by walls; between 1567 and 1579, when the east and west tracts were added; and finally, between 1586 and 1590 or 1601, the northern tract and arcaded inner passageways.
The structure has two stories, as well as a basement carved out of bedrock. The castle once also possessed a moat and drawbridge, but although the drawbridge chains remain, both were removed after the course of the Sava River (which had filled the moat) moved away over the centuries.
The characteristic bowed gateway is the symbol of the castle's wine cellar.[2]
Gallery
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Armorial stele
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Trompe-l'œil fresco facing the staircase
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Window
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Inner courtyard
Sources
- Lower Sava Valley Museum website (in Slovene)
- castle floor plan - Lower Sava Valley Museum website (in Slovene)
- visitbrezice.com aerial photos of the castle (in Croatian)
References
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ^ a b c slovenia.info (ed.). "Brežice castle". Retrieved 2016-03-01.
- ^ a b Grajska Klet site Archived February 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Bauman, Gregor (2015-07-03). "Do prihoda Jackieja Chana je Predjamski grad veljal za neosvojljivega" [Predjama Castle was thought to be impenetrable before the arrival of Jackie Chan]. Dnevnik (in Slovenian). Retrieved 2018-02-20.
- ^ Bauman, Gregor (2015-07-31). "Tim Roth in Gary Oldman sta umrla na brežiškem gradu" [Tim Roth and Gary Oldman died in Brežice Castle]. Dnevnik (in Slovenian). Retrieved 2018-02-20.