Brdo Castle near Kranj (Slovene : grad Brdo pri Kranju, German : Egg bei Krainburg), usually simply Brdo Castle [1] [2] [3] (Slovene : grad Brdo), is an estate and a mansion in the Slovenian region of Upper Carniola west of the village of Predoslje, [4] City Municipality of Kranj, northwest of Ljubljana. It is the Slovenian government's main venue for diplomatic meetings and other government-sponsored events. [5] [6]
Brdo was attested in written sources as Eck in 1430, Egkh in 1490, and Ekh in 1499. [7]
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The present mansion was built by Carniolan nobleman Georg (Jurij) Egkh, general administrator of Habsburg private estates in the Duchy of Carniola, upon the permission by Maximillian I issued in 1510. It was the first Renaissance castle in the Duchy of Carniola, though it has been frequently renovated since. In the 18th century, it was bought by Michelangelo Zois, father of the Carniolan Enlightenment patron of the arts and natural scientist Sigmund Zois. In the 19th century, its interior was completely renovated. In the first decades of the 20th century, it fell into decay until it was bought by Prince Paul of Yugoslavia in 1935. Prince Paul transformed Brdo from an eclectic and biedermeier provincial mansion into a refined summer royal residence. Between 1935 and 1941, several prominent individuals stayed as guests at Brdo, including Edward VIII of the United Kingdom.
After Yugoslavia became a communist state in 1945, the mansion was confiscated from the Karađorđević dynasty and in 1947 after being nationalised became a summer retreat of the Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito. [8] Brdo and the Vila Bled at the nearby Lake Bled were two former royal residences he typically spent much time in spring and summer. During one such visit in the spring of 1980, Tito suffered a seizure at Brdo and was transferred to the Ljubljana University Medical Centre, where he later died.
After Tito's death in 1980, the estate was transferred to the Socialist Republic of Slovenia and it was later inherited by the Government of the independent Slovenian state. In its traditional role of hosting national and international conferences, in 1990, it was the venue of a conference between the leaders of the six Yugoslav republics in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the dissolution of the federation.
On June 16, 2001, it hosted a summit between George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin, which was the first official meeting between the two leaders. [9] During Slovenia's EU presidency in the first half of 2008, it was the venue of a series of top-level international meetings.
The interior of the mansion is decorated with paintings, frescos and sculptures by prominent Slovene artists, such as Božidar Jakac, Maksim Sedej, Boris Kalin, Zdenko Kalin, and Karel Putrih. [8]
The Brdo Congress Centre, built for the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2008, is located in the Brdo compound, near the Renaissance castle complex. It has an area of 10,200 square metres (110,000 sq ft). The new glass building is set in the midst of a protected natural forest. The building was designed by the architects Matija Bevk and Vasa Perović. [10]
Ownership of the castle is disputed. The descendants of Prince Paul have argued that the confiscation was illegal and that the property should be returned to them. Their claim was rejected by a lower court in 2011, and the appeal was rejected by a higher court in April 2012. The claimants are still attempting to have the ruling overturned by the Supreme Court of Slovenia. [11]
Carniola is a historical region that comprised parts of present-day Slovenia. Although as a whole it does not exist anymore, Slovenes living within the former borders of the region still tend to identify with its traditional parts Upper Carniola, Lower Carniola, and to a lesser degree with Inner Carniola. In 1991, 47% of the population of Slovenia lived within the borders of the former Duchy of Carniola.
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Bled is a town on Lake Bled in the Upper Carniolan region of northwestern Slovenia. It is one of Slovenia's most visited tourist destinations. The town is the administrative seat of the Municipality of Bled.
Sigmund Zois Freiherr von Edelstein, usually referred as Sigmund Zois was a Carniolan nobleman, natural scientist and patron of the arts. He is considered one of the most influential figures of the Enlightenment Era in the Slovene Lands of Habsburg Austria.
The Duchy of Carniola was an imperial estate of the Holy Roman Empire, established under Habsburg rule on the territory of the former East Frankish March of Carniola in 1364. A hereditary land of the Habsburg monarchy, it became a constituent land of the Austrian Empire in 1804 and part of the Kingdom of Illyria until 1849. A separate crown land from 1849, it was incorporated into the Cisleithanian territories of Austria-Hungary from 1867 until the state's dissolution in 1918. Its capital was German: Laibach, today Ljubljana.
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Upper Carniola is a traditional region of Slovenia, the northern mountainous part of the larger Carniola region. The largest town in the region is Kranj, and other urban centers include Kamnik, Jesenice, Domžale and Škofja Loka. It has around 300,000 inhabitants or 14% of the population of Slovenia.
Lower Carniola is a traditional region in Slovenia, the southeastern part of the historical Carniola region. Its largest town and urban center is Novo Mesto.
Zois Mansion is a mansion in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It stands in the Center District, at Breg, a street on the west (left) bank of the Ljubljanica, between Teutonic Street to the north and Zois Street to the south. The mansion served as residence of Baron Sigmund Zois, a leading figure of Enlightenment in the Slovene Lands of the Austrian monarchy and supporter of the revival of Slovene culture and literature.
The National Museum of Slovenia is located in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is located in the Center district of the city near Tivoli City Park. Along with the Slovenian Museum of Natural History, located in the same building, the National Museum of Slovenia is the country's oldest scientific and cultural institution. The museum has an extensive collection of archaeological artefacts, old coins and banknotes and displays related to the applied arts. In 2021 it's been given the golden Order for Exceptional Merits by the president of Slovenia, Borut Pahor.
Turn Castle is a castle near the village of Potoče in the Municipality of Preddvor in the Upper Carniolan region of Slovenia.
Brdo may refer to:
Brdo pri Lukovici is a small settlement next to Lukovica pri Domžalah in the eastern part of the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.
The Upper Carniolan dialect is a major Slovene dialect, known for extensive syncope, monophthongization of diphthongs, and loss of neuter gender. It is spoken in most of Upper Carniola, along the Sava River. It is one of the two central Slovene dialects and was also used as a written language from the 17th century onward, and especially in the second half of the 18th century. It borders the Selca, Škofja Loka, and Horjul dialects to the south, the Tolmin dialect to the southwest, the Soča dialect to the west, the Gail Valley dialect to the northwest, the Rosen Valley and Ebriach dialects to the north, the Upper Savinja dialect to the northeast, the Central Savinja dialect to the east, and the Lower Sava Valley and Lower Carniolan dialects to the southeast. The eastern part of the dialect is the Eastern Upper Carniolan subdialect. The dialect belongs to the Upper Carniolan dialect group, and it evolved from Upper Carniolan dialect base.
World War II in the Slovene Lands started in April 1941 and lasted until May 1945. The Slovene Lands were in a unique situation during World War II in Europe. In addition to being trisected, a fate which also befell Greece, Drava Banovina was the only region that experienced a further step—absorption and annexation into neighboring Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Hungary. The Slovene-settled territory was divided largely between Nazi Germany and the Kingdom of Italy, with smaller territories occupied and annexed by Hungary and the Independent State of Croatia.
Josef Kalasanz Freiherr von Erberg was a Carniolan botanist, cultural historian, collector, and patron of the arts.
The Urban Municipality of Kranj is one of twelve urban municipalities of Slovenia. It lies in northwestern Slovenia and was established in 1994. Its seat is the town of Kranj. The area traditionally belongs to the region of Upper Carniola and has been included in Upper Carniola Statistical Region since 1995.
Brdo Castle may refer to:
Rupa is a former settlement in the Municipality of Kranj in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia. It is now part of the city of Kranj.
46°16′23″N14°22′37″E / 46.273025°N 14.3769027778°E
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