Velenje Castle
Encyclopedia
Velenje Castle is a well-preserved castle
in Velenje
, Slovenia
that was owned by the Kunšperk
family, followed by their relatives the Ptujs and the Liechtenstein
families. The castle houses a museum of art and culture.
, is in the Šalek Valley
, located on the top of a hill to the west of the town. Over the centuries this castle, along with two others in its vicinity, Šalek and Ekenštajn, has played a key role in controlling the routes from the Celje Basin to Carinthia. Archaeological excavations have revealed that the valley where the castle is located was the settlement of prehistoric man. Since medieval times, Velenje Castle in the Šalek Valley was also known as the "Valley of Castles" for the over twenty castles built in this valley.
Approach to the castle is from a foot track from the bus station in the town, and also by road from the old town.
, it became a government property. The castle was again renovated after 1957 and it now also houses a museum.
n art (only one of its kind in Slovenia with 1000 art pieces which includes furniture, jewelry, music instruments, masks and puppets, and the carved sculptures of the donor), which was donated to the museum by the Czech
-born sculptor Frančišek Foit; contemporary art by local artists of Slovenia
, artifacts related to the history of the valley from the Roman period and Baroque of the Middle Ages through the centuries, including figure heads of Tito
and Kardelj
leaders of Yugoslavia
during communist rule in Slovenia, remnants of two mastodon
s, a chronology of Velenje emerging as a town and Baroque artwork from the Church of St. George at Škale. The museum also has a reconstructed grocer's shop of the 20th century, a reconstructed inn of the 1930s, a model of a coal pit, and many other artifacts. The Slovenian Coal Mining Museum is also located in the vicinity of the castle where deep coal mining shafts are visitor attractions.
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...
in Velenje
Velenje
Velenje is a town and municipality in northern Slovenia. The municipality has 33.331 inhabitants. Staro Velenje is first mentioned in written doucments dating to 1264 and 1374 as small market town and was a center of handicraft and trade...
, 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...
that was owned by the Kunšperk
Kunšperk
Kunšperk is a settlement on the right bank of the river Sotla in the Bistrica ob Sotli Municipality in eastern Slovenia. The area was traditionally part of Styria. It is now included in the Savinjska statistical region....
family, followed by their relatives the Ptujs and the Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
families. The castle houses a museum of art and culture.
Geography
The castle, above its town VelenjeVelenje
Velenje is a town and municipality in northern Slovenia. The municipality has 33.331 inhabitants. Staro Velenje is first mentioned in written doucments dating to 1264 and 1374 as small market town and was a center of handicraft and trade...
, is in the Šalek Valley
Šalek Valley
The Šalek Valley is a valley or basin in northern Slovenia in the northeastern pre-alpine foothills. It is named after Šalek Castle near the town of Velenje. The Šalek Valley lies between the Kamnik-Savinja Alps to the west, the Pohorje Mountain Range to the east, and the Sava Hills to the south...
, located on the top of a hill to the west of the town. Over the centuries this castle, along with two others in its vicinity, Šalek and Ekenštajn, has played a key role in controlling the routes from the Celje Basin to Carinthia. Archaeological excavations have revealed that the valley where the castle is located was the settlement of prehistoric man. Since medieval times, Velenje Castle in the Šalek Valley was also known as the "Valley of Castles" for the over twenty castles built in this valley.
Approach to the castle is from a foot track from the bus station in the town, and also by road from the old town.
History
The castle was a strategically important fortress first mentioned in 1270; from it various owners controlled the routes from the Celje Basin to Carinthia. From the 14th century, the castle's ownership has gone through several noblemen. The castle seen in the present shape was fully refurbished in the early 16th century by the Wagen von Wagensberg family and also in subsequent centuries. Following the complete renovation, the castle became their Renaissance residence. In the 19th century, Karl and Bianca Adamovich owned the castle. It was the summer residence of Count Coronnini-Kromberg until 1943 when he was evicted by the Germans. Subsequent to World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, it became a government property. The castle was again renovated after 1957 and it now also houses a museum.
Architecture
The castle has been built conforming to the topography of the land, on a rounded hill. It has a five-pronged exterior wall forming a large courtyard, which has a well and also a large flowerbed combined with an elegant arcade. A defense tower, a triangular shaped fortification, is built as part of the wall on the northeastern side of the courtyard. The residential buildings are located on the southeast corner; these are provided with basement cellars.Museum
The museum located within the castle premises has a diverse collection in its many galleries. Its unique art collections include AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n art (only one of its kind in Slovenia with 1000 art pieces which includes furniture, jewelry, music instruments, masks and puppets, and the carved sculptures of the donor), which was donated to the museum by the Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
-born sculptor Frančišek Foit; contemporary art by local artists of 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...
, artifacts related to the history of the valley from the Roman period and Baroque of the Middle Ages through the centuries, including figure heads of Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
and Kardelj
Edvard Kardelj
Edvard Kardelj also known under the pseudonyms Sperans and Krištof was a Yugoslav communist political leader, economist, partisan, publicist, and full member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts...
leaders of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
during communist rule in Slovenia, remnants of two mastodon
Mastodon
Mastodons were large tusked mammal species of the extinct genus Mammut which inhabited Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and Central America from the Oligocene through Pleistocene, 33.9 mya to 11,000 years ago. The American mastodon is the most recent and best known species of the group...
s, a chronology of Velenje emerging as a town and Baroque artwork from the Church of St. George at Škale. The museum also has a reconstructed grocer's shop of the 20th century, a reconstructed inn of the 1930s, a model of a coal pit, and many other artifacts. The Slovenian Coal Mining Museum is also located in the vicinity of the castle where deep coal mining shafts are visitor attractions.