Rajhenburg in the older literature used to be mentioned as the oldest castle witnessed in
documents in Styria. Document, in which the castle is mentioned as Reichenburch dates
to 27th September 895 when king Arnulf donated in total ownership three kings
farms next to Sava at Rajhenburg to his liegeman Valtun, was falsified later.
Archdiocese of Salzburg didn't gain the ownership of the former territory of countess Hema
Breško-Seliška until the 11th century (claims, Kos, 2005). Those who oppose this
opinion claim that it was only a transcript of older original document which is also supposedly
preserved. The research is still in progress.
At the time of Hungarian invasions into the valley of river Sava the castle was destroyed so
Konrad I., archbishop of Salzburg, had several castles, among them also Rajhenburg, rebuild
in the first third of the 12th century (Richenburch a novo edificavit). After
consolidation after 1131 he had perhaps humble fort superstructured to a castle and populate it
with ministerials. In 1141 the first known knight from Rajhenburg is mentioned, Otto de Richenbvrc
and the castle is later many times mentiones as a fortress, for ex. in 1309 as castellum Reichenburch
and in 1439 as vest Reychenburch in land Steyermark. In 1480 Friderik III. ordered his army
to seize all estates belonging to archdiocese in Carinthia and Styria because he did not agree with
election of new archbishop Bernard Rohr. Bernard asked for help with protecting the estates of Matija
Korvin. In 1491 the truce was made in Bratislava and the castles remained in emperors posession.
After death of Friderik III. in 1493 the archbishop at the time, Friderik V., got castles Sevnica
and Rajhenburg back from emperor Maksimiljan but had to pay 18600 florints. Again the knights of
Rajhenburg ruled the castle. So in 1523 Jurij of Rajhenburg rented sloss Reichenburg with
appurtenant estates on both sides of Sava and the right of blood court.
In 1570 knights of Rajhenburg died out.Their heirs became Welzers who also took over old coat of
arms of Rajhenburg. It was probably before 1600 when the castle went into the hands of Galla noble
Gallenstein. Among various managers we find the following owners: in 1693 Vid Jakob baron noble
Moscon, Leopold baron noble Curti, in 1696 count Hanibal Heister, between 1721 and 1802 counts
Attems, until 1820 Alojz noble Mandelstein, until 1855 family Delena, followed by Sidonija Brzowska,
between 1857 and 1874 count Eberhard Waldburg, between 1874 and 1881 Kristjan baron noble Esebeck,
afterwards C. Girand and from 1884 on Trappist monks who rearranged the castle into a monastery.
They remained the owners until the last war. At the war time it was a gathering centre for Slovenian
exiles and a prison for women after the war. After 1968 the castle is turning into a museum. Today
we can find the following exhibitions on the castle:
exhibition about the history of the castle and the place named Brestanica over the time, exhibition
about Trappist monks, exhibition about Slovenian exiles and exhibition about political prisoners and
internes.
French monks - Trappists, the order of reformed Cisterians, the order which commanded very strict
rules of monk life, total silence and a principle that anything you need for your life, do it yourself.
Monks who populated the castle in 1881 directed the estate mainly into utilitary direction, because
they had very developed agriculture, viticulture, fruit growing, they made cheese and castle's meierhof
was used and added it the units for manufacturing chocolate Imperial and famous liqueur.
The building of a chocolate factory is still preserved and is accessible by passing the cemetary
to which once a tree avenue was leading, which does not exist anymore. In 1947 the Trappist order was
abolished. By their doing Trappists erased the traces of ancient history by that much, that
are only being discovered by systematic architecture-historian research.
Small tower which appears on before- and between- the war photos was a bell tower which
was on the roof of the northern wing built by Trappists when they populated the castle. When at
the time of World War II the aggressor forcibly removed monks from the castle, the tower was removed
soon after that.
Attentive observer will notice thet a tower on a photo is very similar to the tower on Turn
under the castle on Vischer's
depiction.
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Literature: |
Stopar, Ivan, Dr.: "Grajske stavbe v vzhodni Sloveniji - Med Kozjanskim
in porečjem Save", Viharnik, Ljubljana, 1993,
ISBN 961-6057-00-6
Simič, Mitja (in mag. Kolšek, Alenka): "Zgodovinski vrtovi Dolenjske in
Posavja", Dolenjska založba, Novo mesto, 2000,
ISBN 961-6297-40-6
Stopar, Ivan, Dr.: "Razvoj srednjeveške grajske arhitekture na
slovenskem štajerskem", Slovenska matica Ljubljana, 1977
Kos, Dušan, Dr.: "Vitez in Grad", Založba ZRC, ZRC SAZU, 2005, ISBN
961-6500-82-1
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Contact details: |
MUZEJ NOVEJŠE ZGODOVINE SLOVENIJE
ENOTA BRESTANICA
Cesta izgnancev 3
8280 Brestanica
Slovenia
Info:
Tel: +386 (07) 497 15 68
Cell phone: +386 (31) 405 213
Internet:
Home page: http://www.muzej-nz.si
Email: uprava@muzej-nz.si
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Shows and entertainment: |
Group of events named Poletje na gradu Rajhenburg (Summer on Rajhenburg castle):
concerts of classical and other music
The castle is open:
monday: for prearranged groups
tuesday-friday: 9.00 - 15.00
saturday and sunday: 11.00 - 15.00
For prearranged groups it is possible to visit outside of regular schedule.
A visit can be arranged by a phone: +386 (0)7 497 15 68 (Irena Fürst)
Entrance fee for a tour of very extensive museum: 2 EUR - students, pupils, soldiers
| 3 EUR - others
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back
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As it is evident the roof was last
renovated in 1989
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Access road to a outer courtyard of the castle
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View of outer courtyard and a part of the castle
where once a Romanesque tower was located which is not preserved in its original
height; the wall is 2,5 meters thick here
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Southern wall
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Eastern Romanesque wall
(around 1 meter thick) with a row of 9 Romanesque windows which throw light
on a great hall and two light loopholes beneath them
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Northern wall on which a northern
wing was leaned in the Gothic era
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This extension on the photo is from
modern times
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North-western Gothic tower
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Walled-up keyhole-shaped arrow loop in the
wall of the tower
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Wing, added to the castle on the west side;
once a restaurant was located here; nowadays museum offices are here but in smaller part
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Castle meierhof
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Semicircularly formed, rustic Renaissance portal with
coat of arms of Gallenstein family on its keystone
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Figure on a lower side of keystone
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Courtyard portal
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Courtyard facade of southern wing
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Courtyard is surrounded with two-storeyed
residential wings which are vaulted in a ground floor and closed with full walls in the
first floor
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Frescoes balustrades from Renaissance era
restored in the years 1976-1977 try to impress a visitor with a rich, divided architecture
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Western wing is on its courtyard side
exceptionally vaulted in the whole
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Vaulted first floor of western wing
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Renaissance windows
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Ground floors are mostly vaulted in
different styles; on a photo you can see grid-crested vaults in the southern ground
floor
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Behind this metal fence prisons (dungeons)
were located at the war time
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Covered top af late-Gothic pointed-style arch
portal which is leading to the basement of the north-western tower
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Ceiling of two-storeyd, cross-rib vaulted
Gothic chapel which is located in north-eastern Romanesque tower
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Romanesque-style shaped portal in the chapel
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Remains of the columns of Romanesque part
of the chapel which was divided into two equal poles
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Frieze from cube-shaped chessboard on the
corner of Romanesque apse in the chapel of Rajhenburg castle
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Corridor in the second floor of southern
wing
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Staircase which connects the floors
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In the first floor of northern wing next to the
chapel is a room arranged for cultural and social meetings; on its walls we can find information
about the history of the castle
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Next room to the west if again dedicated
to Slovene exiles
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Far western room in the first floor of northern wing
where frescos of master from Marija gradec from the beginning of the 16th century are
still preserved
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Dormer window in the corner
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Noble's wives as allegory of two
cardinal Christian virtues:
FORTIVDO - Fortitude and TEMPORANCIA - Temperance (detail from fresco)
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Detail of fresco
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A room beside, where a well preserved wooden
ceiling is visible (probably from Baroque era)
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Part of the castle dedicated to life and work
of Trappists; monk during the prayer
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Mass coat in the glass case;
in the next room we will find out more about the life of the monks and their activity
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One of many rooms where a photographic
and other material from the wartime is presented
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West from the castle on an elevated plane a garden
pavillion is standing in the middle of radially shaped decorative garden; conception of former
park with gardens is seen in cadastral register of Franc I.
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On the left remains of the cemetary are visible
and in the front former chocolate factory which is pretty ravaged by now
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Photos of the castle from the war time;
I apologize due to bad quality of photographs
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C. Reichert,
Rajhenburg castle, colored lithography, around 1860
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Brestanica with
castles Rajhenburg and Turn on lithography from Old Kaiser's suite
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Rajhenburg castle, G. M.
Vischer, Topographia ducatus Stiriae, copper engraving,
around 1681
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