Krško Castle
Encyclopedia
Krško Castle is a 12th-century castle
ruin above the old center of the town of Krško
, Slovenia
. The castle and town are both named after the nearby river Krka
, Germanized
as "Gurck."
(together with Brestanica
) was first mentioned in 895, when the Emperor
Arnulf of Carinthia
gave it to a loyal retainer, Valtun. It is not known whether the castle existed at that time, but it is assumed that it was erected shortly after 1100 by the noble house of Bogen
, whose ministeriales were recorded as holding it as of 1154. The Counts Bogen may have obtained the lordship by marriage of Bertold II of Bogen to Seuhard, sister of Count Popo of Carniola.
In 1189, the castle was mentioned as Castrum Gurkeuelt, under the Bogen ministeriale Ortolf. In that year Adalbert of Bogen pawned it to Archbishop of Salzburg
Adalbert III, a relative of his wife, for 800 Freising marks. A term of two years was set for the Bogens to redeem it; the money may have gone toward their participation in the Third Crusade
.
The castle was still intact as of the late 17th century, when it was depicted in Valvasor
's 1689 The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola
.
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
ruin above the old center of the town of Krško
Krško
Krško is a town and municipality in eastern Slovenia. The town lies on the Sava River. The area is traditionally divided between Lower Styria and Lower Carniola...
, Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. The castle and town are both named after the nearby river Krka
Krka (Slovenia)
The Krka is a river in the historic Lower Carniola region of Slovenia, a right tributary of the Sava.It sources at Gradiček near the village of Krka, about southwest of Ivančna Gorica and around southeast of Ljubljana, before flowing southeast...
, Germanized
Germanisation
Germanisation is both the spread of the German language, people and culture either by force or assimilation, and the adaptation of a foreign word to the German language in linguistics, much like the Romanisation of many languages which do not use the Latin alphabet...
as "Gurck."
History
KrškoKrško
Krško is a town and municipality in eastern Slovenia. The town lies on the Sava River. The area is traditionally divided between Lower Styria and Lower Carniola...
(together with Brestanica
Brestanica
Brestanica is a small town in the Municipality of Krško in eastern Slovenia. Until 1953 the town was called Rajhenburg . It lies in the valley at the confluence of the Sava River with a minor tributary called the Brestanica. The area was traditionally part of Styria...
) was first mentioned in 895, when the Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
Arnulf of Carinthia
Arnulf of Carinthia
Arnulf of Carinthia was the Carolingian King of East Francia from 887, the disputed King of Italy from 894 and the disputed Holy Roman Emperor from February 22, 896 until his death.-Birth and Illegitimacy:...
gave it to a loyal retainer, Valtun. It is not known whether the castle existed at that time, but it is assumed that it was erected shortly after 1100 by the noble house of Bogen
Bogen, Germany
Bogen is a town in the district of Straubing-Bogen in Bavaria, Germany. It has a population of 10,105. Bogen is located between the southern slopes of the Bavarian Forest and the Danube River. The town lies on the foot of the Bogenberg, a hill directly placed by the Danube...
, whose ministeriales were recorded as holding it as of 1154. The Counts Bogen may have obtained the lordship by marriage of Bertold II of Bogen to Seuhard, sister of Count Popo of Carniola.
In 1189, the castle was mentioned as Castrum Gurkeuelt, under the Bogen ministeriale Ortolf. In that year Adalbert of Bogen pawned it to Archbishop of Salzburg
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salzburg
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salzburg is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Austria. The archdiocese is one of two Austrian archdioceses, serving alongside the Archdiocese of Vienna....
Adalbert III, a relative of his wife, for 800 Freising marks. A term of two years was set for the Bogens to redeem it; the money may have gone toward their participation in the Third Crusade
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
.
The castle was still intact as of the late 17th century, when it was depicted in Valvasor
Janez Vajkard Valvasor
Johann Weichard Freiherr von Valvasor or simply Valvasor was a Slovenian nobleman, scientist and polymath, and a fellow of the Royal Society in London.-Biography:...
's 1689 The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola
The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola
The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola is Johann Weikhard von Valvasor's most important work on history and natural history of his homeland Carniola, a central part of the present-day Slovenia and Istria in Croatia....
.
Sources
- Ivan Jakič, Vsi slovenski gradovi, DZS, LjubljanaLjubljanaLjubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, 1997. - Ivan Lapajne, Krško in Krčani (reprint of 1894 issue), Zavod Neviodunum Krško, Krško, 2004.
- Janez Vajkard ValvasorJanez Vajkard ValvasorJohann Weichard Freiherr von Valvasor or simply Valvasor was a Slovenian nobleman, scientist and polymath, and a fellow of the Royal Society in London.-Biography:...
, Slava vojvodine Kranjske, Mladinska knjiga, LjubljanaLjubljanaLjubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, 1978, Kultura imprint.