Koprivnik Castle (, , ) is a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

ruin Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

above the village of Sveta Trojica, near Moravče in central

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

History

The castle was probably built in the 12th century, in order to protect the trade route from the

Moravče Valley The Moravče Valley is a geographical feature in Central Slovenia. Geography A part of the Posavje folds, the Moravče valley reaches to Moravče and is composed of sediments of Tertiary period, tertiary nature. Of predominance are various san ...

to the

Lower Sava Valley The Lower Sava Valley (, also ''Spodnje Posavje'' and ''Posavska regija'') is a region in southeastern Slovenia on the border with Croatia. It has three major urban centres: Brežice, Krško, and Sevnica. Its borders are almost identical wit ...

. Its first recorded owner was Ulschalcus von Rabensberg, of the knights of Rabensberg (), first mentioned in 1214. The castle was abandoned in the 13th century, when the owners relocated to

Krumperk Castle Krumperk Castle (, ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 19.) is a castle located in Gorjuša near the town of Domžale in central Slovenia ...

, and it was in ruins by the 17th century. The estate was inherited by the Hohenwarths, followed by the sisters of St. Clare from Mekinje. In the second half of the 19th century, the castle became known as Old Castle () or Freight Castle (), named after the nearby freight route from the

Central Sava Valley The Central Sava Valley () is a valley in the Sava Hills and a geographic region along the Sava in central Slovenia, now constituting the Central Sava Statistical Region. The region consists of three municipalities: Zagorje ob Savi, Trbovlje, an ...

. In 1930, the land surrounding the ruins was purchased by Senator . Remains visible today include the foundations of a defensive tower and some walls; most of the rest of the structure is covered by detritus. Much of the worked stone was recycled for the construction of nearby Holy Trinity Church.

Sources

* http://www.gradovi.jesenice.net/koprivnik.html * Castles, Mansions and Manors in Slovenia (Didakta, January 1995, ) by Ivan Jakič (Gradovi, dvorci in graščine na Slovenskem),

References

External links

* {{Castles in Slovenia Castles in Upper Carniola Ruined castles in Slovenia