Vipava Castle
Encyclopedia
Vipava Castle is a castle ruin above the town of Vipava
, in the eponymous municipality in southwestern Slovenia
.
, the castle was first recorded in 1275 as Castrum Wipaci superioris. It was the residence of the knights of Vipava until the mid-14th century, when it became a ducal fief, granted to a long series of noble and knightly families, including the knights of Rihemberk, lords of Snežnik
and Belopeš
, Counts of Celje
, barons Herberstein, Counts Thurn, the noble family of Edling, counts Thrillegkh
, and finally the counts Lanthieri, who abandoned the decaying castle in the 17th century.
The ruins of the Romanesque
structure trace the rectangular layout of its thick walls, enclosing two residential buildings guarded by an impressive defensive tower.
Vipava, Slovenia
Vipava is a small town in western Slovenia with 1500 inhabitants. It is the center of a municipality with 5,185 people. Vipava is built near the numerous sources of the Vipava River, in the upper Vipava Valley, 102 m above sea level...
, in the eponymous municipality in southwestern 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...
.
History
Built by the Patriarchate of AquileiaPatriarchate of Aquileia (State)
The Patriarchate of Aquileia was an Imperial State in the Friulian region of Northeastern Italy under the control of the Patriarchs of Aquileia.- Foundation :...
, the castle was first recorded in 1275 as Castrum Wipaci superioris. It was the residence of the knights of Vipava until the mid-14th century, when it became a ducal fief, granted to a long series of noble and knightly families, including the knights of Rihemberk, lords of Snežnik
Snežnik Castle
Snežnik Castle is a 13th-century castle located in the southwest part of the Lož Valley near the settlement of Kozarišče in the municipality of Loška dolina, Slovenia. Its name is coincidentally identical to the possessive form of the Slovene word sneg , but is actually a slovenized form of the...
and Belopeš
Bela Pec Castle
Bela Peč Castle is a castle ruin above the settlement of Bela Peč, near Rateče in the extreme northwest corner of Slovenia. The ruins are located almost exactly on the triple border between Slovenia, Austria, and Italy, lying just barely on the Italian side of the border.- History :The castle was...
, Counts of Celje
Counts of Celje
The Counts of Cilli or Celje represent the most important medieval aristocratic and ruling house with roots and territory in present-day Slovenia....
, barons Herberstein, Counts Thurn, the noble family of Edling, counts Thrillegkh
Trilek Castle
Trilek Castle is a small castle or fort near the settlement of Col, in the municipality of Ajdovščina in southwest Slovenia. Built in the early 16th century, it was first mentioned in the 17th-century historian Janez Vajkard Valvasor's 1689 survey, The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola.The castle...
, and finally the counts Lanthieri, who abandoned the decaying castle in the 17th century.
The ruins of the Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
structure trace the rectangular layout of its thick walls, enclosing two residential buildings guarded by an impressive defensive tower.
Sources
- Jakič, Ivan: All Slovenian Castles: A Lexicon of Slovene Castle Heritage. Ljubljana, 1997.
- photos at gradovi.jesenice.net