Lemberg near Nova Cerkev (often refered to as Lemberg at Dobrna) is indirectly witnessed
for the first time in a document from 1213 with which the duke of Austria and Styria
Leopold VI. in Maribor confirmed bequests for Charterhouse in Žiče. Uschalk of Ranšperk
and his bother Eberhard of Lemberg - Vlscalcus de Rauenberch et frater eius Eberhardus de
Leuburch are refered as witnesses are in document and that also tells about connection
between dominions Lemberg and Ranšperk. Humble ruins of Ranšperk castle are still visible
nowadays and are located on a steep rocky hill in a village Rupe between Šmartno v Rožni dolini
and Dobrna, south-west from Lemberg castle.
Between 1248 and 1271 the resident of the castle was ministerial of Krško Nikolaj of Lemberg
(Nikolaj de Lewenberch) one of the knights from the circle of the famous Minnesinger
(Minnesänger) Ulrik of Liechtenstein. In 1271 the owner of Lemberg was Hartnid from Guštanj,
provincial judge in Savinja valley who renounced the castle in 1279 in benefit of Friderik
of Ptuj and his sons. The pressure of lords of Ptuj was increasing and lords of Lemberg moved
to Štrasberk. So the estate Lemberg was formally and actually a property of lords of Ptuj who
settled there their castellans among which the first was Ditmar from Lemberg (1307). In 1380
Nikolaj Schmalzhofen is mentioned. In th 1390s lords of Ptuj combined economy administration
of Lemberg and nearby Ranšperk. In years 1403/1404 and 1427 Jurij Mindorfer (1432 - Ojstrica)
is mentioned as castellan of Lemberg. In 1387 bishop of Krško imparted five castles of Krško
(also Lemberg) to Counts of Celje but in it never came to the real takeover. When lords of
Ptuj died out they were followed by liegemen of Krško, lords of Schaunberg, who were supporters
of provincial prince and thus enemies of Counts of Celje. It is written in the chronicles
of Count of Celje that in 1452 count Friderik of Celje ordered to demolish castles Lemberg
and Ranšperk because in his opinion they were to close to Celje, but the truth is, because
the owner of Lemberg at the time, Ulrik from Schaunberg, was adviser of emperor Friderik III.
Also two legends are known. According to the first count Friderik could not stand that lord
of Scaunberg is looking into Friderik's dish while eating lunch and according to another
he had a big golder star which shined directly into Friderik's room.
Ulrik and Albreht of Schaunberg reconstructed the castle and remained owners until 1463, when
they pawned it to Štefan and Andrej Hohenwarter and in 1487 Hohenwarter family got is as
feudal estate from Krško. Neža, daughter of Andrej Hohenwarter, brought the dominion as dowry
into marriage with Krištof Welzer noble Eberstein and his succesor Viktor Welzer rebuilt the
castle in 1584. The castle was still in family's posession in 1604 and were as owners
followed by lady noble Polheim in 1610, Schrottenbachs (Ojstrica) until 1766, counts Gross
until 1811, followed by Ignacij baron noble Reinisch, in 1855 family Langer and in 1904 Hubert
and Ana Galle. Galle family remained as owners of the castle between both wars and afterwards
the castle became a part of general public property. In the procedure of denationalisation
the estate together with the castle was returned to Galle family. Even if the castle had
residents a few decades ago it now holds only one resident, "lord of the castle" Mr.Koštomaj.
Schaunbergs who supposedly rebuild the castle demolished by Counts of Celje, definitely used
old ground plan which is still clearly mediaeval. But the only thing that remained from
the original castle are basements under the northern wing which date back to mature Gothic era.
So the wing above the cellars, which is Baroque in its present form, is build on old foundations
and was probably build by lords Schaunberg. In 1854 Welzer family not only built the entrance
wing, as it is written on inscription plate above the entrance. They also built vaulted
corridor with south wing which was once decorated with coat of arms and portraits of Welzers.
Classicistic modifications in the 19th century blurred former fortification
character of the entrance wing and probably destroyed storeyed column gallery which can be seen
on Vischer's depiction. In the 1970s part of the wings and towers were newly roofed.
On the fallow Tornovšče nearby Lemberg the remains of probably Romanesque exposed tower,
propugnaculum, which once guarded the access from the valley to the castle, can be found.
Lords of Lemberg were known as very cruel. They liked to torture rebelled peasants and also
iron maiden was located on the castle. It is probably not a coincidence that people feel
negative energy when visiting the castle.
According to the last information the last owners, family Galle, sold the castle and is now
in hands of Slovenian owners.
* Author of some photos (IMG*) is Matjaž Založnik.
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Literature: |
Stopar, Ivan, Dr.: "Gradovi na Slovenskem", Cankarjeva založba, 1987, ISBN 86-361-0280-4
Stopar, Ivan, Dr.: "Grajske stavbe v vzhodni Sloveniji - Spodnja Savinjska dolina", Založna Park, Ljubljana, 1992
Kos, Dušan, Dr.: "Vitez in Grad", Založba ZRC, ZRC SAZU, 2005, ISBN 961-6500-82-1
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Contact details: |
Rajko Koštomaj
Lemberg pri Novi Cerkvi 24
3203 Nova Cerkev
Slovenia
unfortunately I do not have any contact information of Galle family from Austria
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Shows and entertainment: |
Castle afternoons organised by tourist society Nova Cerkev, that are also visited by owners,
Galle family from Austria.
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back
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Further down the road to Ranšperk
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View from east
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South-eastern roundel, equiped with cannon-loop holes
and above them right under the roof with holes for fire arms
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Storeyed entrance wing with semicircular portal
and top semi-storey; a defence moat was once located in front of it; on the right from the portal an escape
door reconstructed as a window are located
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Semicircular portal, decorated with secondary rustic under which
its original form is clearly visible - semicircular arc with skimmed edge
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Heraldic plate above the entrance portal with the year
1584; the plate is well preserved - remains of the paint are visible so it is possible it is replica
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North-eastern gothic defence tower
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In the middle of the northern side a small tower (nowadays demolished)
is located in which the original chapel was located; I do not know when it collapsed, but surely after 1966; I.Stopar
mentions in 1992 that it was partially filled-up
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View from north-east to a smaller and
a little bigger rectangular defence tower
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View from the west
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View to a front, smaller courtyard towards entrance;
though double-vaulted hallway we come to inner bigger courtyard; on the left a residential wing is located
in which Mr.Lord of the castle resides
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Broken in floor above the hallway between the
smaller and inner courtyards; sometimes also drying room of Mr.Lord of the castle
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View of a scarp protected southern part of castle courtyard,
leading towards vaulted corridor
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Wall paintings in the floor on the courtyard side of the northern
residential wing, which are hidden beneath the roughcast; let's leave it to the time to remove the remaining roughcast
and reveal the other paintings
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Courtroom next to the big roundel with partially preserved
wooden ceiling
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Multiaxially concluded Gothic chapel (witnessed in 1751),
to which we can get through the hall; painted with chinese motives, which were very popular in the 19th century
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Vaulted corridor on the south side of the castle;
based upon 16 elegant Toscan columns of grey sandstone
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North wall of southern wing, collapsed more than 100 years ago,
which gave the real meaning and function to corridor, because from here it was possible to access every part of the building
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Floor of the northern residential wing with still preserved
parquet
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Typical method of heating, where from the outer
side filled the stove without disturbing the lords
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Gothic portal can also be found in the floor of the northern wing
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Wooden staircase in the north-eastern Gothic defence tower
leading to the first level of basement
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Arched cellars in which Gothic profiled portals can be found
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Stone staircase leading to the second
level of basements and dungeons
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Way to the darkest parts of the basement,
where dungeons were located; lords of the castle were putting there criminals and rebelled peasants
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Filled up basement portal from which to the right a point-arched
partially broken portal is located under the turf which leads to filled up place under the circular northern tower; on a
photo from 1966 this places still appear accessible
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Pour-out hole in the basement
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One of the many profiled Gothic portals in the basement
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Groove, through which supposedly prisoners were thrown in
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Demolished staircase which once connected vaulted corridor
with roundel
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Outbuilding, also partially cellared
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Keyhole arrow-loop in the outbuilding
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Remains of the fishpond below which once a bigger lake
was located which was artificially damed by lords of Lemberg
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Castle afternoon on Lemberg
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Brick, owned by Mr.Lord of the castle and by his words
very old; until now I figured out "Anton Kukovič / (X.?) A'39 / (?) Cilli" and my opinion is that
the brick is dates to 1939 and was made by Anton K. in Celje
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Castle Lemberg near Celje; G. M. Vischer, Topographia
ducatus Stiriae, 1681; *Vischer falsely depicted gothic north-eastern tower; **D. Kos in his book "Vitez in Grad"
("Knight and a castle") incorrectly designates this depiction as Lemberg near Poljčane
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C. Reichert, Lemberg castle, colored lithography from
around 1860 (outtake)
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Unknown painter, Lemberg castle from the north, aquarelle, middle
of the 19th century; from the graphic collection of regional museum in Celje; * The chapel on the left at the road
still exists today, upper building has disappeared and on the place of the lower a smaller house is located
nowadays
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