On a steep pier at a dead branch of a river of former confluence of rivers Sava and Krka at
the end of the town with the same name lies Brežice castle. Slovene name of the town and the
castle is probably older than German name and also has the same meaning: smal slope (Rain).
In the middle ages one of the centers of Salzburg estates in Posavje was here. In a document
dated 9th February 1241, issued in Brežice, in which archbishop of Salzburg Eberhard donated
meny feuds to younger Ortolf, named Vulpis and as witnesses are mentioned ministerials Ringel
and Prehtel de Rein, first known castellans of Brežice. In 1249 the castle explicitly is
mentioned as castrum Rayne. In 1252 a mint was testified on a castle and in 1268 the
caslr gets full judicial right over its subjects. Henrik of Svibno - Planina became the
castellan in 1277 and remained in that position until 1284.
In the land register from 1309 we can find information about how many farms were under uffice of
Brežice at the time, what were the incomes of castellans, guards, gatekeeper etc. (see Stopar, 1993
for detailed information). In 1322 when the castle is refered to as castrum Raein in land
register lords of the castle were castellans Eckart from Lipnica, Herman from Čretež (Lisce?)
and Fritzl from SlovenjGradec. Local resident Mentel began to build his onw tower in the town
the same year.
Managers of archbishop's dominion in Brežice in the first half of 15th century were
Žiga of Dobrna (1425-1427), Oton of Radovljica (before 1443) and Janez of Rajhenburg (1444-1449).
In the second half of 15th century the managers were Višprijski (Weisspriach) Žiga
(1450-1458), Hans (1458) and Klavž (1464). In 1457 archbishop gave the castles in Brežice dominion
ti Viljem Reisperger in feud. In 1478 pawnee of Brežice was archbishop's brother-in-law Andrej
Kraig, and between 1466 and 1482 Jernej Mindorfer from Mehovo is mentioned in Brežice who also
bought one of the town's towers. In the town and in town's defence walls was at the time more
than ten towers; archbishops accelerated their construction because with towers the defence of
Brežice was much stronger.
At the time of Turkish wars, especially between 1471 and 1496 the fortification played a significant
role because here were one of the door through which Turkish troops were invading our territories.
In 1479 archbishops of Salzburg, who were in dispute with emperor, handed over the castle to their
allies Hungars and is remained in their hands until the death of Matija Korovin in 1490. One year later,
when peace was made in Bratislava (Požun) the castle became the property of provincial prince.
As castellans we meet between 1563 and 1568 Ludvik noble Ungnad, in 1586 Franc Galla noble Gallenstein,
after his death in 1604 Ludvik noble Frankopan and in 1694 count Ignac Marija Attems. Castle remained
in the hands of Attems family until the last war after which it was nationalized.
Brežice castle was severely damaged in peasant revolt in 1515. The rebels attacked, conquered and burned
the castle and the castle residents were killed. They chopped of the heads of the deceased and carry the
heads for several days later on poles. After this devastation Brežice castle could not recover. Emperor
Ferdinand hence approved 3000 goldinars in 1529 for construction and reinforcement of the town.
Construction of a new castle, maybe on the same place as the old one was, began in 1530 and finished
in 1590 (they were building the castle for the whole 60 years). There is no more traces of the
original mediaeval castle and the present building carries in its design and its detail a mark of mature
Renaissance era. I should note here that I decided to evident the castle into the period of its origin,
therefore in the 16th century, and not in the period of the first mentioning of the previous castle.
When the works were in progress numerous domestic, Croatian and Italian architects were collaborating
among them famous Italian architects, brothers Andrej and Domenico del'Allio. Baroque era works from the
time of count Ignac Attems were mainly concentrating on arranging facades, solemn staircase, chapel and a
big knights' hall.
Between World War I the castle was arranged as a military hospital and after World War II it was a
residence for company Vino Brežice and 26 families. From 1949 Museum of Posavje from Brežice has
its collections on display on the castle. They also began to gradually reconstruct the castle. At
first the reconstruction work was done on the interior and later on the exterior but at any time
the works were in accordance with monument preservation principles and needs of the museum. Nowadays
all places except the sellar are intended for the museum and cultural events.
* In the list of the castles an aerial photo of the castle is used from the site
www.posavski-muzej.si, author is not stated.
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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
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
Marjan Gregorič - Mitja Guštin: Posavki muzej Brežice (Zbirka vodnikov, št. 108), Založba Obzorja, Ljubljana, 1990, ISBN 86-377-0070-5
Kako živijo slovenski gradovi: Brežice; dokumentarna oddaja, 20.12.2005
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Contact details: |
Posavski muzej Brežice
Cesta prvih borcev 1
8250 Brežice, Slovenija
Telefon: + 386 7 466 05 17
Fax: +386 7 466 05 16
E-mail: vodnik@pmb.si
Spletna stran: www.pmb.si
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Shows and entertainment: |
Among the most known belong traditional festival Brežice
(www.festivalbrezice.com), for other events you should visit attached
web links
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back
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Southern wing
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Castle towers are 4 meters thick in the ground floor
and were once equiped with arrow-loops which are now walled-up
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Remains of the defence wall which we can also
find around the castle on its west side
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View of a castle from west direction;
view goes through vegetation between which we can see dried out riverbed, a reminder
of former confluence of rivers Sava and Krka (see older depictions)
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Outer facade of the western wing
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With wood enclosed dormer window which is
inclined towards the inside of the north-western tower
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North-eastern tower
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Eastern wing
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Doors in the ground floor of eastern wing which
leads from outside to wine sellar; unfortunately dating is unknown but for sure no passage
was here at the time of castle's construction
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Entrance Renaissance portal is grooved,
secondarily somewhat extended with openings for chains of the drawbridge; it is emphasized
by frame with rustic - diamond shaped pilasters with even, profiled beam and a year
1584 on a lintel
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Above the beam a younger relief is embedded with
coat of arms of Galla family (unicorn), held by griffins; above the relief a roofed
inscription plate is located
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Courtyard rustic portal with coat of arms of Galla family
on a keystone
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Castle courtyard with a well; once arranged as a
castle garden
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Simple single-storeyed wing with wine
sellar in the ground floor and knights' hall in the first floor
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Southern wing, in front of it a constructed
passage terace with a green plot is standing
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Northern and eastern wing with visible
sun dials
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Sun dial on eastern wing is supposedly measuring
time in the forenoon
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And sun dial on the north wing in the
afternoon
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Two-storeyed vaulted lordship wing;
in the groun floor cloumns are rectangular with skimmed edges and in the floors
columns are round Toscan
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Corridor in the ground floor of the wing
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Vaulted corridor with cross arches in the
first floor
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In this floor a heraldic plate is embedded
above one of the entrances which states that lord Gall von Gallenstein, owner of
Luknja and Brežice castles, this long ago started construction on the border
area finished in 1590 with extensive and merited defensive-reinforcing works
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Stone Baroque portal, through which
we can access the staircase
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Portal connecting the courtyard
with wine sellar in the eastern wing
(with carved year 1547? in the keystone)
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Well
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Renaissance shaped window
on a courtyard side of eastern wing
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Differently shaped window in the same wing
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A place at the north-western tower
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Entrance to the castle sellar in the
ground floor of the western wing
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Frescos by Ignacij Flurer from around
1720 are so realistic that intermediate column looks like a real one
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Staircase with middle landing, connecting
floors in the lordship wing
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Chapel, located next to the staircase
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Ceiling of the staircase
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Two storeys high, in 1954 renovated
solemn or knights' hall, which is the biggest and among the most beautiful
in Slovenia; with frescos, by order of Ignac Attems, supposedly made by master
Joannecky; prevailing opinion is that the hall was painted by F. K. Remb
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35 meters long, 10 meters wide and
8 meters high, wooden staircases at front walls
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Celtic weapons from most important
Celtic burial grounds in Posavje: Dobova, Brežice and Mraševo (swords, scissors,
hair clips, blades,...)
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Earthen stove; a motive, resembling a shell is
visible and the same motive also appears on the staircase portal
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Excavation on Libna: grave with rich horsing
equipment (iron age) - north-western tower
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Grave - close up
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Stone from a chapel of St.Jurij on Svete gore
in Bizeljsko
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In the northern wing, which is in its greater
part rearranged into ethnological museum, we will find items from every day life of farmers,
agriculture, viticulture and famous beehive in an image of soldier
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Viticultural part of ethnological collection -
north-eastern tower
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Fragment of snail-stairs in a room next to
south-eastern tower
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Copy of tombstone of Croatian feudalist
Fran Tahi
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Chainmail shirt
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Weaponry collection in south-eastern
tower
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Replica of 16th century armour
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Through tight corridor we are passing the
collection of national fights and revolution from the eastern wing to the western,
where a gallery colleaction is located
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Detail of Baroque paintings, found under the
roughcast
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In the places of gallery collection
also permanent exhibition of painter and graphic artist Franjo Stiplovšek
is arranged
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Brežice borough, view towards north
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View towards south on the castle
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Outhousing wing, located next to the castle
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C. Reichert,
Brežice castle, colored lithography, around 1860
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City of Brežice, G. M. Vischer (1681)
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Castle Brežice, G. M. Vischer (1681)
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A 3D reconstruction; author Rok Kranjc
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