Readers shoul be aware, that this article will be about Rifnik castle
and not about classical antiquity excavation site Rifnik which is located in direct vicinity
of the castle, south on the hill Rifnik. Castle Rifnik partially proves the claim
that the castles were once build on locations which were allready fortified in the
classical era or even earlier.
On a rocky elevation, south from an old settlement in the era of mature Middle Ages
a new outpost grew, a medieval castle. It was first mentioned in year 1281. It was testified
as property of Krško and is mentioned in the year 1326 as "vest Reichenekk".
Older literature mentiones knights of Rifnik (first vassals of Krško, later
vassals of Celje) which were here at the beginning of the 13th century;
todays historians do not take them into account.
In 1326 Viljem of Vrbovec got ownership of tower of Rifnik by marriage with
daughter of Leopold of Ploštajn. From year 1359 on the castle was owned by
Counts of Celje.
Martin II. went to work for Counts of Celje, which got the castle from
bishops of Krško in 1400, and they gave it to Martin for lease.
A daughter of Martin II. of Rifnik, Katarina Fürstenfelder, gained posession
of multiple feudal estates, which in 1426 sold together with half of castle,
that she inherited from her niece Beatrix, to Erazem Liechtenberger, castle
manager for Counts of Celje. When Liechtenberger died, the estate was
divided and the castle Rifnik with its estate went directly from bishop of Krško
to Liechtenberger's sons. After the death of the last Liechtenberger, Franc, the
castle was inherited by his relatives Sauraus and the remaining inheritance went
to other hands. In the following century the castle estate became very fragmented
and its biggest part was passed over to Blagovna at Šentjur. Claim, that castle was
ravaged in 1635 by peasant revolt, is not documented. But it is correct, that the
castle was desolated at least in the second half of 17th century, because
its better part show uncovered in the image in Vischer's Topographia.
(Paragraph quoted from: Rifnik - Mladi posvojijo spomenik ("Rifnik: Youngs adopt a monument"))
Gothic concept of the castle, which was built by adding new components to older,
probably romanesque castle core, has walls of the original height which is very rare
amongst Slovenian castles these days.
The core was composed of multi-storey residential tower and smaller pentagonal
courtyard.
As renaissance buildings were not as solid as medieval, we can hardly recognize
their traces nowadays. Medieval core is still recognizible today in its fundamental
features.
With time the castle was prolonged, original courtyard was constructed early and later
the castle and its inner ward were extended especially towards west.
On the north side a steep, somewhere rocky cliff is located and on the south side
a few meters high rocky wall is located which at the bottom meets grassy plane that
extends all the way to Rifnik hill.
According to some sources, castle prisons were once located in the castle Rifnik,
where they were holding rebelled peasants (subjects) and other convicts which
were waiting for their further destiny.
Today the castle shows as a fortification of which essential components are
formed of high, once defensive and residential towers that are connected to a
solid whole by intermediate walls. Numerous original medieval architectural
segments are still preserved today in the walls, like gothic portal in the second
floor of the west tower, windows with tipical perietal seats, old light loops, etc.
Right under top floors the towers were surrounded with outer wooden defensive
corridor which has not preserved, and on the western tower putlog holes are still
visible, in which once wooden corridor holders were sticked. Solid masonry
technique enabled us a view to some alements on ruins of Rifnik, which cannot be
seen anywhere else, because top parts of ruined castles are mostly demoslished.
Around gray walls a lot of tales are made, from the tale about a gold in the
cellar of the Rifnik castle in three vats to the tales of malicious lords and
leather footbridbe or a tunnel to nearby castle Ploštanj, where once supposedly
lived a brother of Rifnik's lord, at first his friend, later his enemy. A lot
of stories are of the Rifnik castle and its owners. Memory of them is slowly
fading from peoples minds, but the ruins will be there for a long time.
A well marked road leads us from city Šentjur almost to the foot of the castle,
which is finished at the crossroad to the castle and archaeological excavation
site. A small parking space is also at the crossroad.
A path through the private property of a farm, which is located right under the
castle, will be walked by foot. Maybe some other forest way leads to the castle,
but the castle core will hardly be accessible from any other direction than
from south.
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Literature: |
Stopar, Ivan, Dr.: "Gradovi na Slovenskem", Cankarjeva založba, 1987,
ISBN 86-361-0280-4
Stopar, Ivan, Dr.: "Razvoj srednjeveške grajske arhitekture na
slovenskem štajerskem", Slovenska matica Ljubljana, 1977
Rifnik - Mladi posvojijo spomenik
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View of a castle from the south side
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Eastern pentagonal castle
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Ruin of the western defensive wall,
maybe a tower
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View from north-west direction
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Chasm behind castle walls on
the north side
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Western tower
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Western tower, wooden arches are visible
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Light loop hole on south side of the western tower,
height of the loop-hole proves, how deep a tower is filled up
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Western tower, putlog holes are visible, which
were once holding outer surrounding wooden corridor
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View of eastern tower from a place
between both towers
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Eastern tower, up, on the second
floor a gothic portal is visible
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Inside of eastern tower
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Chasm, visible through northern window
in eastern tower
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Top of pentagonal eastern tower
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View of ruins from nort direction
in the forest
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Another view of a castle
from northern elevation
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From northern elevation
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View of a pentagonal eastern
tower from the meadow
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Similar view
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Meadow, clouds and ruins
on the right
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View of a castle from Rifnik hillside
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Rifnik, G. M. Vischer,
Topographia ducatus Stitiae, copper engraving from around 1681
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