View_of_Polhov_Gradec_Manor_and_tower_01

Polhov Gradec Castle (, , also known as the Old Castle, ) is a castle ruin above the settlement of

Polhov Gradec Polhov Gradec (; ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 118.) is a settlement in the Municipality of Dobrova–Polhov Gradec in the Upper Car ...

, in the

Municipality of Dobrova–Polhov Gradec The Municipality of Dobrova–Polhov Gradec (; ) is a municipality in Slovenia. Its administrative seat is Dobrova, Dobrova–Polhov Gradec, Dobrova. History Originally, according to the ''Establishment of Municipalities and Municipal Boundaries ...

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 ...

. It is located on Calvary Hill (, also known as Old Castle–Calvary Hill, ''Stari grad - Kalvarija'', 460 m) immediately northwest of the town center.

History

The castle or fortress was built in the second half of the 12th century by the Spanheim

ministeriale The ''ministeriales'' (singular: ''ministerialis'') were a legally unfree but socially elite class of knights, administrators, and officials in the High Middle Ages in the Holy Roman Empire, drawn from a mix of servile origins, free commoners, and ...

s the knights Billichgrätz (). The noble Henrik Polhograjski was listed as the owner of the castle (or fort) of ''Pilchgrez'' in 1261. In 1360, half of the castle was obtained by count Otto of Ortenburg, and in the mid-14th century its owners were relatives of the Polhograjskis, the noble house of Gall. In 1364, Ulrik Polhograjski and his uncle Konrad Gall sold the castle and lordship to the

counts of Celje The Counts of Celje () or the Counts of Cilli (; ) were the most influential late medieval noble dynasty on the territory of present-day Slovenia. Risen as vassals of the Habsburg dukes of Styria in the early 14th century, they ruled the County ...

. After the extinction of the house of Celje with the death of Ulrik II of Celje in 1456, the Polhov Gradec lordship passed to the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

s. Around 1470, the Polhov Gradec line also became extinct, and the Habsburgs gave the estate in ducal fief to a succession of tenants, including the knights Luegger, Andreas von Gall (until 1504), and Baron Kasper von

Lamberg The House of Lamberg is the name of an ancient Austrian noble family, whose members occupied significant positions within the Holy Roman Empire and later in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. History The family name first appeared during the 14th ce ...

(1492-1548). The castle was damaged by the earthquakes of 1348 and 1511, but its death blow was struck in 1514 when it was thoroughly wrecked during a major peasant revolt, after which the site was abandoned and the lordship transferred to the lower castle, Polhov Gradec Manor (). At the site of the old castle an octagonal

gloriette A gloriette (from the 12th-century French meaning "little room") is a building in a garden erected on a site that is elevated with respect to the surroundings. The structural execution and shape can vary greatly, often in the form of a pavili ...

was later built, which Countess Antonia

Ursini von Blagay The Blagaj family or Blagay were a Croatian noble family, hereditary counts () that were a cadet branch of the medieval Babonić family, and named after their estate of Blagaj on the Sana in the 14th century. Over the course of the Croatian-Ott ...

(1792–1869), the last heir of the Billichgrätz family, turned into a chapel in 1853, adding 14 shrines for the

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

to it to create a

Calvary Calvary ( or ) or Golgotha () was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, Jesus was crucified. Since at least the early medieval period, it has been a destination for pilgrimage. ...

. In 1875, the castle was purchased by the Urbančič family, members of the local nobility and owners of Turn Castle. The buyer was Luiza Urbančič (1842–1918), the sister-in-law of

Josipina Turnograjska Josipina Urbančič (married name Toman), who published under the pen name Josipina Turnogradska (later respelled Turnograjska, 9 July 1833 – 1 June 1854), was one of the first Slovene female writers, poets, and composers. Biography Josipin ...

, one of the first Slovene female writers, poets, and composers.https://www.tms.si/stalne-razstave/muzej-poste-in-telekomunikacij/zgodovina-gradu-polhov-gradec/

References

{{coord, 46, 3, 59.3, N, 14, 18, 43.47, E, type:landmark_region:SI, display=title Castles in Upper Carniola Ruined castles in Slovenia